Project 100: Strengthening of Front-Line Biosafety and Biosecurity capabilities Measures in Southeast and Eastern European Region

Context

All beneficiary countries are affected to a different extent by limited biosafety and biosecurity management capabilities in the frame of integrated state border security measures. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a number of weak points such as lack of technical capabilities for rapid bio testing and follow-up, shortage of pre-stockpiled disposable materials, lack of knowledge and skills related to the biosafety and biosecurity measures to be executed by the state border protection staff members, and lack of horizontal coordination between different state organisations responsible for biosafety and biosecurity measures implementation. Sustainability measures, such as provision of regular national and cross-border exercises to test respective Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity (BS&S) response plans and procedures on national and international levels are also a challenge for the South East, Eastern Europe region (SEEE).

Overall objective

This project aims to strengthen front line biosafety and biosecurity capabilities in the SEEE region partner countries in order to ensure minimisation of bio hazard induced health consequences, human and economic losses following the violation of safety and security regimes on state borders and customs clearance zones related to bio threat monitoring and response.

Specific objectives

• To establish and improve policy, guidelines and protocols on the biosafety and biosecurity management of any respective threats which might be occur on state borders as well as customs clearance zones.
• To enhancetechnical capacities of the partner countries’ institutions through provision of appropriate equipment for trainings, exercises and front line biosafety and biosecurity response needs.
• To conductpractical trainings and exercises (national, trans-boundary, regional) on Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity threats management.
• To fosterthe establishment of national and regional Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity experts and agencies networking.
• To sharegood practices of Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity management based on relevant EU institutions’ experience. 

Concrete activities

• Inventory of existing capacities, practices, resources, needs, and relevant regulations in the Integrated Border Security, especially focused on Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity Management.
• Elaboration/transfer of standard operation procedures/methodologies on specific aspects of Integrated Management of Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity Threats.
• National trainings and exercises for the development/enhancement of inter-agency cooperation in Integrated Management of Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity Threats.
• Cross-border, sub-regional and regional field and table-top exercises to establish/enhance cooperation by strengthening the competences of existing national Front Line agencies. 

Expected results

• Assessed existing capacities, practices, resources, needs, and relevant regulations in the SEEE partner countries to cope with biosafety and biosecurity threats on state borders through the research and fact-finding visits to beneficiary countries.
• Enhanced methodological and technical capacities of relevant front line national agencies/ institutions to manage biosafety and biosecurity threats by developing and delivering the Subregional Train-the-Trainers courses.
• Compilation of the lists of special training equipment to conduct front line national bio-safety and bio-security threats management training for each of the SEEE partner countries.
• Provision of national training courses on front line bio-safety and bio-security threats management in each of the SEEE partner countries and development of Standard Operating Procedures on front line biosafety and biosecurity measures
• Enhanced SEEE Regional, sub-regional and cross-border biosafety and biosecurity threats management cooperation through regional, sub-regional and cross-border field and table-top exercises.
• Transfer of EU best practices on front line bio-safety and biosecurity threats management through a study trip to the EU.
• Established regional, sub-regional and cross-border networks of professionals and agencies responsible for Front Line Biosafety and Biosecurity threats management.

Achievements

• Completed desk research on current frontline BS&S capacities and conducted fact-finding visits in 8 beneficiary countries.
• Developed training materials (translated into 10 languages), delivered a regional technical workshop, 2 subregional Train-the-Trainer courses, and 2 subregional tabletop exercises. National training courses and tabletop exercises were organised in 4 beneficiary countries, training a total of 181 participants.
• Organised study visit to Italy to transfer EU best practices, accompanied by a practical tabletop exercise on the frontline BS&S management.
• Developed 52 Standard Operating Procedures for the primary frontline and supporting agencies on the frontline BS&S measures.