EU-Western Balkans cooperation on cross-border security (migration and asylum management)

Typology: TRAINING COURSE

This training activity aims to foster knowledge and critical assessments of EU strategy towards the Western Balkans from both the enlargement and security perspectives, examining the political choices, the applied rules, the political and legal instruments adopted at the international, European, and national level to reinforce reform efforts and bring tangible progress.

EU accession is strictly connected to security, to the extent that it require these countries to provide guarantees according to the EU-oriented reforms and projects, such as Integrative Internal Security Governance in light of the EU’s internal security and the external dimension in the Western Balkans. It also consists of the analysis of the impact on the legal systems of each Western Balkan country according to an interdisciplinary approach that includes criminal law and criminal procedural law, constitutional law, European and international law.

In detail, it will foster knowledge concerning migration and border management issues within the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) framework, and European Union (EU) acquis communautaire Chapter 24 (Cooperation in the field of Justice and Home Affairs), providing all participants with the practical tools and coordinated action amongst EU Member States, agencies, institutions, and Western Balkan countries to put in place a common and comprehensive approach to border management and fighting illegal migration. It will also consider the most recent measures taken to establish a Frontex control area. Migration control is a key-element in EU enlargement efforts in the Western Balkans, which remains an important transit area for irregular migrants moving from Turkey towards Western Europe; a new route recently (2018) travelled by migrants across Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Croatia.

The training activity will also consist of joint training seminars for teaching staff, international and national experts, and representatives of the different categories of stakeholders to provide a general framework of the EU strategy towards the Western Balkans and specific measures on migration issues.