Immigration and the fight against human trafficking will be important issues in the agenda of EU Interior Ministers during the Croatian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Finnish Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo will attend the informal meeting of the EU home affairs ministers in Zagreb on 24 January. This will be the first informal meeting of ministers during the Croatian Presidency.
According to a press release by the Ministry of the Interior, the home affairs ministers will discuss human trafficking in Europe and, in particular, the Balkans route. The Croatian Presidency wishes to highlight the role of organised crime in exploiting human misery.
“Finland, as part of the Presidency Trio, supports the Croatian Presidency and discussions on the future of internal security and migration. It is important for us to build closer cooperation between EU Member States in migration policy and strengthening internal security,” Minister Ohisalo says.
The ministerial meeting will also discuss the implementation of the regulation on the European Border and Coast Guard. As of 2021, Member States will have to second staff to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency’s (Frontex) standing corps, which will grow to 10,000 people by 2027.
In connection with the meeting, Minister Ohisalo will also meet the new EU Commissioner responsible for migration, Ylva Johansson.
Information systems
The home affairs ministers will continue to discuss the future of the EU's home affairs on the basis of the discussions held during Finland's Presidency.
Other themes on the agenda will include the interoperability of information systems, which was discussed during Finland's Presidency. This relates to a total of six EU-wide information systems, which is a huge undertaking on an EU scale.
Effective implementation requires not only technical measures and legislation, but also sufficient resources in the EU and the Member States. What makes this even more difficult is the fact that the interoperability of the systems requires successful implementation in a commensurate manner in all Member States, Finnish Government said.
