Deputy Prime Minister Catalin Predoiu, Minister of Internal Affairs, met on Wednesday with Stephen Doughty, Minister of State for Europe, North America and the Overseas Territories within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on which occasion the two officials discussed bilateral relations, migration and human trafficking.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), the talks provided an opportunity to review the main topics on the bilateral agenda in the internal affairs area, with a focus on prospects for political dialogue between the two countries in the near future.
Both states are deeply engaged in the joint effort to identify effective solutions to combat various forms of transnational organised crime, focusing on tackling cyberattacks, disinformation and drug and human trafficking, the quoted source said.
The two officials highlighted their commitment to strengthening cooperation in order to identify solid solutions to the multiple challenges that the European Union and the United Kingdom are facing.
We are facing immense challenges, with an increasingly complex threat landscape and unpredictable developments. Organised crime - whether we speak of drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms trafficking or illegal migration - is today probably the most significant threat to the integrity of European society. In this fight for safety and integrity, we are bound to use advanced technologies, strengthen our capabilities and train and equip our police officers to deal not only with challenges but also with technological developments exploited by criminals,' Predoiu said, as quoted in the release.
At Minister Catalin Predoiu's proposal, the parties agreed to establish, in the near future, a permanent advanced working format aimed at further strengthening the already excellent level of cooperation in key areas under the remit of both ministries of internal affairs, possibly with the involvement of other interested member states.
Another topic of interest was the issue of migration, with the dialogue partners underscoring the need to improve cooperation to prevent the phenomenon and to promote effective and sustainable solutions, the same source added.
According to the MAI, in recent months the United Kingdom has developed an approach that treats illegal migration not only as a domestic issue but also as a European and international security concern. Discussions therefore covered Romania's significant successes in migration management and the need to consolidate these achievements in the context of possible changes to migratory routes.
Romania, as a full member of the Schengen area, is responsible for securing an important part of the European Union's external border, the press release underlined.
According to Minister Predoiu, Border management is a security commitment we have made to ourselves and to our European partners. In this respect, the report of the Schengen evaluation missions that took place in Romania in September-October, for the first time since full accession to Schengen, will acknowledge that our standards are state-of-the-art.'
The talks also addressed the prevention and combating of human trafficking, with emphasis placed on the activities and efforts undertaken by the MAI.
The Romanian official stressed that this topic is a major priority and highlighted the importance of cooperation among all actors involved to increase efficiency in this area. The MAI is actively engaged in reducing the scale of the phenomenon and is a respected and valued partner of counterpart structures in EU member states, European agencies and international organisations, the press release also shows.
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