On 23 and 24 February, the second European Conference on Border Management took place in Athens, where European Union (EU) Member States signed a Joint Declaration underlining the importance of effectively managing and strengthening the EU’s external borders and making full use of EU funding and support from EU agencies for this purpose.
Latvia was represented at the conference by the Minister for the Interior, Māris Kučinskis, and the State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Dimitrijs Trofimovs.
The conference was organized in response to the rising levels of irregular migration in the European Union and to discuss possible solutions to address the escalating situation. The declaration calls on the European Commission to provide adequate financial support to the Member States most affected by irregular migration to improve their external border infrastructure and strengthen their reception capacities.
The focus of the Swedish Presidency on more coherent information campaigns in migrants’ countries of origin is also appreciated, as is the targeted and mutually coordinated work at the EU level to improve return cooperation between these countries.
In addition, it should be noted that the declaration expresses a commitment to continue to offer protection to those in need and to support the Ukrainian people fleeing the brutal war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation.
At the conference, the Minister expressed his support for the adoption of the Declaration, particularly praising the references in the Declaration to the need to continue the fight against the brutal use of migrants for political purposes, the so-called “instrumentalization”, which is currently being pursued against Latvia, Lithuania and Poland by the Lukashenko regime. Latvia looks forward to the practical implementation of all the measures contained in the Declaration.
It should be noted that the first European Conference on Border Management took place on 20-21 January 2022 in Vilnius, Lithuania, organized by Austria, Greece, Lithuania, and Poland, during which 16 Member States signed a Joint Statement focusing on the need for effective management of the EU’s external borders at political, diplomatic and operational level.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department