DUSHANBE, December 10, Asia-Plus – The European Union provides 12 million euros to support expansion of cross-border cooperation in Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s news agency Kaz-Today said.  

Mr. Jorg Ketelsen, Charge D’Affaires of the European Commission to Kyrgyzstan, remarked this at a news conference in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on December 6.  

According to him, this project is designed for the period till June 2010 and funds will be distributed among all states of the region, depending on an extent of their participation in such processes. The budget has been already endorsed, and funds will be distributed with the EU border management program for Central Asia (BOMCA), Mr. Ketelsen said.  

Besides, further some 5 million euros will be distributed among Central Asia’s states within the framework of the EU drug action program for Central Asia (CADAP).

Both programs have worked in the region since 2002. 

The overall objective of the Border Management Program for Central Asia (BMCA) is to secure the gradual adoption of modern border management methods in Central Asia. Modern Border Management aims at two equally important purposes: enhanced border security and facilitation of legal trade and transit. 

The overall objective of the rug Action Program in Central Asia (CAADAP) is to foster a development-oriented drug control strategy in Central Asia that ensures a sustained reduction of drug consumption and trafficking in line with European Commission drug strategies a public health approach to drug demand and an interdiction-based approach to drug trafficking.