Ministerial Meeting on illegal migration and awareness to prevent child sexual abuse in the Region, Portoroz, Slovenia, 9-10 of June 2021

The Ministry of Interior in Slovenia hosted Ministerial meeting of the Western Balkans’ home affairs ministers on 9th and 10th of June 2021 as part of the Brdo-Brijuni Process. The main focus of the meeting was on the issues regarding illegal migrations in the region, awareness raising activities to prevent child sexual abuse and priorities of the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Republic of Austria, the EU institutions and agencies, as well as international and regional organisations and initiatives. IISG Secretariat was invited in Portoroz, Slovenia and represented by the HoS Mr. Sojati.

The Ministers discussed the management of mixed migration flows, emphasizing diverse challenges posed by increased irregular arrivals to the region.  Responsible EU Agencies were invited to make full use of their capabilities to offer operational assistance, available resources and expertise in order to reinforce the management of mixed migration flows in the region.

The Ministers exchanged views on the future orientation of the expert network. They emphasized the need for joint training, exchange of knowledge and good practices and similar activities aimed at increasing the capacities for identification of victims and perpetrators, which would consequently lead to enhanced investigation into online child sexual exploitation. The close cooperation between the competent authorities of participating partners in criminal investigations as well as prevention activities should be maintained and strengthened in the following years. The enhanced involvement of relevant  EU agencies, especially Europol and Cepol, would be a welcome addition to the efforts of the network..

The Ministers entrusted the Republic of Slovenia with informing the competent EU bodies of the arrangements made and presenting to them the agreed activities and needs for our work in the future.

Mr. Sojati explained shortly the role of the IISG Secretariat and updated the participants that IISG Secretariat and the Support Group are deploying all resources to deliver the first mapping product in July 2021 in the 6th Board Meeting of WB6 Partners.