Heads of Specialized Agencies Discussed Harmonization of Legislation in the Field of Border Security in Saint Petersburg

On November 28, the 89th meeting of the Council of Border Guard Commanders of the CIS Member States was held in St. Petersburg.

The event was opened by Vladimir Kulishov, Head of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia.

Apart from the current situation on the external borders of the CIS countries, the meeting participants – representatives of the CIS IPA, the CSTO PA and the SCO – discussed model lawmaking aimed at ensuring security on the external borders of the Commonwealth.

Dmitriy Kobitskiy, Secretary General of the CIS IPA Council, noted that the comparative and legal analysis of national border legislation of the CIS IPA states shows the existing differences in legal norms, controversy and inconsistency of their conceptual system and a number of provisions.

“This situation requires the development of new approaches to the harmonization and unification of the legislation of the Commonwealth states in this area”, said Dmitriy Kobitskiy.

Sergei Pospelov, Executive Secretary of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, shared the Assembly's lawmaking experience and pointed out that CSTO parliamentarians and experts closely cooperate with the Coordination Service of the Council of Commanders of Border Troops.

“Regular working contacts have given positive results in creating conditions for efficient legislative support for the implementation of the current Concept of a coordinated border policy in the CSTO Member States. National lawmakers have been offered not only harmonized algorithms and norms-rules of legal regulation, but also a significant number of legal definitions of norms-notions, developed in accordance with international standards and taking into account specific features of national legal systems. It predetermines the basis not only for harmonization and approximation, but also for unification of legislation in any branch of law,” Sergei Pospelov said.

The Assembly developed and adopted Recommendations on the Procedure of State Border Protection by the Border Forces of Other Collective Security Treaty State Parties, Their Status and Duty Conditions, Recommendations on Amending and Extending the CSTO Member States’ National Legislation Due to the Implementation of the Agreement on the Status of Forces and Assets of the CSTO Collective Security System Regarding Border and Customs Formalities and Provision of Formations’ Transit Through the Territory of the CSTO Member States and others.

The CSTO PA Executive Secretary noted that the initiative of the Council of Border Guard Commanders to develop Recommendations in the field of border security within the framework of the currently developing 2026-2030 CSTO PA Action Plan could become a promising measure for the consistent promotion of the adopted acts in the national legal systems of the Organization's Member States.