The European Union (EU) donated 63 new vehicles and specialized equipment to the Border Police (BP) of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA). The vehicles are worth almost 3.5 million BAM.
Minister of Security, Selmo Cikotic (SDA) assessed that this donation is an indicator of “high cooperation” between domestic institutions and the EU. He claims that this is the largest single donation to the security system.
Also, he noted that these are 35 combined vehicles and 12 SUVs, for which he pointed out that the BP will use on the field. He reminded that SIPA got 16 SUVs.
He emphasized that this donation was initiated by the head of the EU Delegation to BiH, Johann Sattler. Cikotic is satisfied with the efforts that the directors of these police agencies are investing in securing funds for work.
Sattler also believes that the donation is a sign of close cooperation between BiH and the EU. As he mentioned, he is glad that they proved to be a loyal partner. He pointed out that this will be a significant contribution to the fight against illegal migration.
The donation was realized through the project “EU Support to Migration and Border Management in BiH”, and funds for the project were provided through a special measure of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). This project was implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in partnership with UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA, as well as the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), Klix.ba writes.
E.Dz.