Minister Poklukar attends the Border Security Summit: Organised Immigration Crime

Ministers from the European Union and other European countries, together with representatives from several African and Asian countries, European Union institutions and international organisations, discussed the challenges of managing migration and combating illegal migration, as well as the need to strengthen cooperation to combat migrant smuggling more effectively.

Migrant smuggling and related crimes have reached unprecedented levels in recent years. Minister Poklukar stressed that, despite numerous initiatives, migrant smuggling remains a pressing challenge that must continue to be addressed in a consistent and cooperative manner.

Slovenia is primarily a transit country for illegal migration. The activities of criminal groups involved in migrant smuggling, particularly concerning the Western Balkans, remain a significant challenge. Smuggling networks are highly diverse. For example, last year the Slovenian police dealt with smugglers of 62 different nationalities. These crimes are of a highly international nature, requiring close cooperation with target European countries and partners in the Western Balkans.

As a best practice in migration management at the political level, Minister Poklukar highlighted the trilateral meetings of the Interior Ministers of Slovenia, Italy and Croatia, as well as the Brdo Process, which facilitates political coordination with Western Balkan countries. In the fight against migrant smuggling, he highlighted the work of the Operational Task Force ZeBra (OTF ZeBRA), comprising EU Member States and Western Balkan partners, with the support of Europol. The Minister welcomed the United Kingdom's participation in OTF ZeBRA and expressed his view that such examples of operational cooperation can play a significant role in combating migrant smuggling in the region.

Effective international cooperation, including information exchange and joint investigations, is essential for successful case resolution. The Slovenian criminal police therefore work closely with neighbouring countries and EU Member States at both bilateral and multilateral levels, and maintain close cooperation with Europol.

On the sidelines of the conference, Minister Poklukar held brief talks with representatives of the host country, the United Kingdom, as well as with Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and ministers from Italy, Spain, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Finland.