Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri finished a two-day working visit to the Polish-Russian border, his first visit to the eastern land border of the EU since he took office in January.
Leggeri visited the Maritime and Warmińsko-Mazurskie regional units of the Polish Border Guard yesterday. He was accompanied by the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish Border Guard, Maj Gen Dominik Tracz, and Director of the International Cooperation Bureau Lt Col Aleksandra Świątecka.
The mission focused on discussing the challenges of the Eastern section of the external EU border. These include smuggling of excise goods such as cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, as well as clandestine entries by people hidden in trucks and trains.
The Polish Border Guard presented a variety of technological solutions for border surveillance used along this border. The implementation of the bilateral agreement with Russia on small border traffic which has significantly increased the mobility of the population living in the border area was also discussed.
“This visit included all components of Integrated Border Management. It was particularly important for me to see the benefits of the close cooperation between border guards and customs,” said Frontex Executive Director Fabrice Leggeri.
“There is a high passenger traffic at this section of the border with Russia, so the challenges for border control are many. This visit made me fully appreciate the need for ensuring a smooth flow of legitimate travellers while making sure that any illegal activity is detected in a timely manner,” he added.