High-level representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine met today in Warsaw with the Management Board of Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, to deepen border security cooperation.
The meeting, chaired by Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens, focused on three key areas of cooperation with pre-accession partners:
strategic perspectives on evolving border challenges and the EU Migration and Asylum Pact;
operational responses to current border security phenomena; and
European Integrated Border Management (EIBM) governance and alignment with EU standards.
This high-level format builds on years of cooperation between the Frontex Management Board and pre-accession partners, evolving from dialogue and information exchange to hands-on discussions on operational needs and the adaptation of the legal framework underpinning joint operations.
This year’s meeting represents a milestone, acknowledging both the wide range of areas in which Frontex and pre-accession partners work together and the structured cooperation tools that have enabled these partnerships to grow. It also marks a new phase, with the finalisation of Memoranda of Understanding on complaints mechanisms with three partners – Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – and ministerial-level delegations present in Warsaw for the signing ceremonies. Frontex’s Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) are agreements that facilitate cooperation with other countries and agencies on border management, fundamental rights and fighting cross-border crime.
