Assistance to the EU Delegation for Türkiye's Western Border Surveillance Actions
Effective and safe border control has been a pressing issue in Türkiye in the past decades. Türkiye has been hosting the largest refugee community in the world, around 4 million refugees since 2015 and continues to make commendable efforts to receive, support and host refugees and migrants. This is why, the EU launched its support for the Ministry of Interior of Türkiye and the Turkish Land Forces through the Instrument for Pre-accession (IPA) financial assistance programme to strengthen the border control management and border control technology at its Western land borders.
The project aimed to advance the use of technology in border security, with a new surveillance system to be installed between Turkish and EU land borders, contributing to a safe, orderly, and fluent border control system. With the equipment procured, the border surveillance capacity of the Land Forces Command was enhanced to better promote safe migration routes for all and to combat all forms of cross-border crimes, such as human trafficking and exploitation in a modernised and effective manner.
Implementation
NTU played a pivotal role in supporting the EU Delegation by facilitating visits and meetings related to the project. Leveraging their expertise, NTU produced field observation reports and developed a series of strategic recommendations. These recommendations assessed the suitability of the proposed surveillance system while addressing its potential operational and technical implications, ensuring informed decision-making and alignment with project objectives. The team visited three sites: (1) a platoon located at a river in the vicinity of the Türkiye’s border with Greece, a possible place of a surveillance tower; (2) a platoon located at a bridge, responsible for a 12.5 km-long section of the border with Greece featuring a continuous fence; (3) a platoon located near the Kapikule Border Crossing Point, a possible place of a surveillance tower. At the end of the visit, the team held a high-level meeting with local experts and authorities to present and discuss their findings and observations. They also worked together to shape the strategic direction and future arrangements for their work, ensuring alignment with local priorities.
NTU also assisted in the complete procedures of tendering for the technical aspects in their respective fields of expertise and formulated recommendations to Turkish Border Control Officials and Authorities on the implementation and management of the new border control surveillance system.
Impact
The following impacts were observed after the finalisation of the project:
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The new modernised surveillance system resulted in more efficient and reliable border management and monitoring between Türkiye and Greece. NTU assisted with insightful recommendations on the technical design of the border management system. The list of this infrastructure includes radars, EOS systems, wireless sensors, and the establishment of Local Surveillance Points and Command Centres. Moreover, insights on data security, software specification and system sizing suitability of the proposed surveillance system while addressing its potential operational and technical implications were provided, as well as a training guide for the future personnel of the border control system.
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Safe, orderly, well-managed migration routes were promoted through the implementation of a modern border security system that is more effective in intercepting human trafficking, exploitation, and other illegal cross-border activities.
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The EU-Türkiye partnership meant the implementation of a collaborative approach to migration management, contributing to fostering legal migration.
SDGs:
