News

Last week, representatives of six Western Balkan countries, the European Commission, Frontex, EASO, IOM and UNHCR met in Brussels to evaluate the Regional Support to Protection-Sensitive Migration Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey (IPAII) project and discuss this year’s activities.

Since the beginning of the project in January 2016, Frontex and EASO trained 123 border guards and asylum officers from Western Balkan countries with the support of IOM and UNHCR and organised ten workshops on identification and referral mechanisms.

The aim of the IPA II is to introduce and share EU standards and best practices on migration management. Frontex and its partners support the target countries in developing a protection-sensitive response to mixed migration flows by strengthening their identification, registration, referral, asylum systems and return mechanisms, in line with EU policies.

“I am grateful for the good cooperation that we managed to establish with our partner countries. We need to work hand in hand to support the Western Balkan countries in creating an efficient migration management system,” said Frontex Deputy Executive Director Berndt Koerner, who headed the Frontex delegation.

Some of the project activities planned for this and the following year include further trainings of border guards and asylum officers to be able to identify and refer people in need of international protection.