MARRI RC organized the Fourth Joint Training within the Project “Support of the sustainable development of cooperation among border police in Southeast Europe BORDAIRPOL II”, which took place on 30th March 2017, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This training has been designed to assist authorities in implementing measures required to accede to Schengen and strengthen its capacities in police cooperation. The objective was to transfer EU expertise, experience and best practices in the fields of air and land border policing

The 31st Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Board meeting took place on 15th March, 2017 in Sarajevo. The meeting was chaired by Secretary General Goran Svilanovic who elaborated the Report on implemented activities within the period September-December 2016 and presented plans for future activities. Under the Board Agenda topic Activities of other regional initiatives, MARRI RC Director Tamara Mugosa was invited to present reform results, implemented projects and future plans. Svilanovic stressed that RCC highly appreciates the change management of MARRI and

Following the priorities of the MARRI Presidency-in-Office and the Annual Program of activities, MARRI Regional Center with support of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) organized Regional workshop “Irregular migration and THB – International standards for protection of migrants at risk of trafficking in human beings with particular focus on women and children along the migration route” in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia. The workshop was a part of “SAFERR Women and Girls (Shelter and Access to Empowerment and Risk Reduction” Project funded by UK

On January 31st 2017, MARRI Regional Center team visited the border crossing point “Bogorodica” on Macedonian-Greek border and the Temporary Transit Center “Vinojug” in Gevgelija in order to gain closer perspective on the situation in situ. The Commander Mitko Iliev at the Border Police Station welcomed the visitors and recapitulated the events on the border since the beginning of the migrant crisis. During the meeting, he presented the challenges of the police officers especially during the main wave of incoming

On January 25, 2017 MARRI RC Director Tamara Mugosa and representatives of the Regional Center visited EASO Headquarters in Valletta, Malta. The Executive Director of EASO, José Carreira and his team welcomed MARRI RC delegation and briefed on the EASO’s role and main activities with a particular focus on the External Dimension of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and the role EASO has in strengthening asylum and reception capacity in third countries in order to better protect asylum seekers, especially in Western Balkans, Turkey

Swedish Ambassador in Belgrade H.E. Jan Lundin met with MARRI RC Director, Ambassador Tamara Mugosa at MARRI RC in Skopje on January 20th 2017. The First Secretary at the Embassy in Belgrade Mr. Erik Reho and Migration Liaison Officer at Swedish Migration Agency Mr. Milan Bobic also attended the meeting. MARRI RC was represented by NR of Montenegro and Project Manager for BORDAIRPOL II Ms. Selma Mehovic, NR of Macedonia and MARRI Coordinator for GIZ technical assistance Mr. Atanas Minov,

The Republic of Serbia organized regular session at the midterm of the actual Presidency in Office on 9th December 2016. MARRI Regional Committee meeting has been held in line with the Guidelines and Rules of procedures of the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative. Pavle Jankovic, Head of Department for Regional Initiatives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, chaired the meeting. The Members of the Committee, high representatives from the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs of MARRI

The Presentation on SOCTA 2015 Report was organized in Belgrade on 14 November 2016. The Ministers of Interiors of Macedonia, Oliver Spasovski, Montenegro, Goran Danilovic and Serbia, Nebojsa Stefanovic attended the presentation and addressed the participants of the event. The document has been developed with financial support of the Government of Switzerland within the Regional Police Cooperation Programme (2012-2016) and it is implemented by the OSCE Mission in Belgrade, together with OSCE Missions in Skopje and Podgorica. DCAF and EUROPOL

The joint training “Upgrading procedures for asylum seekers” has been organized for representatives from the Ministries of Interior Affairs and Border Police authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo*, Moldova, Romania and Serbia and it took place on 10 November 2016 in Belgrade, Serbia. The main objective was to transfer EU expertise and best practices, particularly is reaching common standards to guarantee access to fair and efficient asylum procedure, but also to collect relevant and specific inputs from

MARRI RC organized Second Joint Training/Workshop “What Border Police gets and needs from MARRI” on the 27 October 2016 in Tirana, Albania. Senior Officials of border control authorities from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo*, Moldova, Serbia and Romania participated at this event as a part of BORDAIRPOL II Project. The objective of the Workshop entitled What Border Police gets and needs from MARRI was to commence consultative process for development of MARRI Strategy 2017-2020. In order to receive relevant