3rd Prague Process Ministerial Conference

Source: Slovak presidency of the EU (Slovak presidency) i, published on Tuesday, September 20 2016.

The Prague Process is a political process aimed at creating and developing partnership among the participating countries in the area of migration. This concerns cooperation and information exchange between 50 countries, including 28 EU Member States, Eastern Partnership countries and other countries.

The conference held on 20 September in Bratislava during the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU offered a unique opportunity to discuss priorities and possible areas of future cooperation and investigate common procedures that can be used to deal with current migration challenges. The ministerial conference culminated in the adoption of the political declaration in which the political representatives of the participating countries expressed their determination to continue their mutual cooperation and define a clear direction. They also affirmed the success of initiatives already implemented and their interest in prolonging the Prague Process Action Plan for an additional five years. The Maltese Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Carmelo Abela, also participated in the meeting, since Malta will pick up the baton in the continuation of the Prague Process from January 2017.

" The Slovak Republic, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, stress the importance of knowing who is crossing European borders when and for what reason. I believe that the creation of the European Border and Coast Guard and secondments of police experts are a good way in which to find common solutions and further develop our cooperation," said Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.

Priorities of the Prague Process Action Plan 2012-2016:

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    Preventing and fighting illegal migration.
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    Integration of legally residing migrants.
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    Readmission, voluntary return and sustainable reintegration.
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    Migration, mobility and development.
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    Legal migration with a special emphasis on labour migration.
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    Asylum and international protection.

Need for further continuation of the Prague Process

The migration policy experts agreed on the need to enhance cooperation and ensure the continuity of the Prague Process by prolonging the Action Plan. Although some regions participating in the Prague Process are not currently seen as over-problematic in the context of migration, the situation can change rapidly. It is therefore necessary to maintain the sustainability of the process and its achievements, and at the same time to agree on future priorities. The migration policy experts should meet at the end of the year to draw up a roadmap that sets out specific action regarding the priorities for the period 2017-2021.

Adoption of a joint declaration and confirmation of further cooperation

Today's meeting was concluded by the adoption of a joint declaration according to which the participating countries affirmed their common resolve to continue cooperation.