The Andean Community and the European Union held the Meeting of High Authorities on "Integrated border management. Promoting the balance between mobility and security”, where they sought to share experiences, challenges and possible tools for international cooperation in this area.
The two-day regional meeting (11 and 12 May 2022) took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, in Quito, and was chaired by its interim Minister, Silvia Espíndola, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the CAN.
At the meeting, Ecuador expressed the importance of recognizing borders as strategic areas for development and integration, but also for the security of States and their citizens. “The challenge then is to have secure borders that are at the same time meeting points,” stressed Silvia Espíndola, according to the statement from the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry.
In addition, Espínola considered that “it is essential to articulate a framework for regional cooperation that complements the bilateral programs currently being implemented in our countries and contributes to focusing on the needs of the Andean region.”
The agenda topics were related to: the presentation of good practices of the European Union's integrated border management system (Schengen agreement, police cooperation and Police and Customs Cooperation Centres); the analysis of the challenges for effective border management in the member countries of the Andean Community; and the formulation of proposals on cooperation tools within the framework of the CAN.
The event was attended by representatives of CAN member countries (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), experts in migration and international cooperation, delegates from the different Government Ministries and institutions responsible for migration and security issues.
The Andean Community is made up of bodies and institutions articulated in the Andean Integration System, which was established through the Trujillo Protocol, signed in 1996. (Statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility)
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