ROME - Member States of the Schengen area with external land borders have agreed to step up cooperation and establish a ministerial forum to convene on a regular basis. In practice, cooperation will be promoted by improving the exchange of information, developing common tools and working methods, and implementing EU-funded projects.

 

This informal ministerial meeting, hosted by Finnish Minister of the Interior Päivi Räsänen, was arranged now for the first time. In its conclusion, the representatives of Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Slovakia adopted a joint statement. 

 

"We are the guards of the external land borders, and I welcome the fact that we share a common purpose to promote cooperation among the Schengen States, in particular," Ms Räsänen said to her colleagues.

 

To summarize the discussion between the Ministers, Ms Räsänen said that while ensuring the smooth crossing of the EU's external border, increased measures must be taken to maintain internal security. The border crossing of legitimate travellers wishing to enter the European Union should be as convenient as possible, and to this effect, the participating countries ask for a swift adoption of the Commission's Smart Borders legislative package.

 

The Smart Borders package includes proposals for Regulations on an Entry/Exit System and a Registered Traveller Programme, together with a proposal for amending the Schengen Borders Code. Its purpose is to simplify the border crossings of frequent third country travellers at the Schengen external borders while enhancing EU border security.

 

At the meeting, the participating Schengen States with external land borders also exchanged experiences on what preparations their countries have made with regard to future visa-free travel with Russia and Ukraine and the growing volumes of traffic across the eastern borders. This exchange of experiences will continue, as the participants agreed to organize the next ministerial forum in Poland in spring 2014.