Meeting: “Capacities of MARRI Member States’ Border Police in Implementation of Readmission Agreements” – Skopje, 12 March 2010 MARRI Regional Centre organized a meeting titled “Capacities of MARRI Member States’ Border Police in Implementation of Readmission Agreements” in Skopje, on 12 March 2010.  The objectives of the meeting were: – To present current situation in practical implementation of readmission agreements; – To share experiences regarding capacities of Border Police in MARRI Member States in the practical implementation of Readmission Agreements;

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The MARRI Regional Centre, under the Montenegrin MARRI Presidency-in-Office, organise the Friends of MARRI/Diplomatic Briefing meeting in Skopje on 27 January 2009. The meeting gathered members of Macedonian diplomatic corps, relevant international organisations and representatives of Macedonian national authorities. The meeting was opened by Ms. Violeta Andonovska, State Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Republic of Macedonia and Mr. Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, Director of Directorate for EU, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Montenegrin Presidency-in-Office. An overview of MARRI

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The MARRI Regional Centre, under the Montenegrin MARRI Presidency-In-Office, organised the Consular meeting regarding the Memorandum of Understanding on Mutual Consular Protection and Services, which took place in Skopje on 26 January 2010. The meeting represents outcome from the MARRI Regional Committee Meeting conclusions held in Becici, Montenegro on 17 December 2009, where MARRI Committee Members invited the MARRI Regional Centre to organise a consular meeting in early 2010 in order to finalise the Memorandum of Understanding

BECICI, Montenegro – The Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) organised its Regional Committee Meeting and Regional Forum, under the Montenegrin MARRI Presidency-in-Office, in Becici on 17 and 18 December 2009. The meeting of the Regional Committee was held on 17 December 2009 in order to coordinate and discuss the MARRI Regional Centre Action Plan 2009-2010 and Concept Paper for Improvement of Cooperation within MARRI Framework, as well as to approve a number of strategic issues of the Initiative, such as: opening of the

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The Reception Centre for Asylum Seekers of the Republic of Macedonia, in partnership with MARRI Regional Centre, organised the Launching Meeting/Workshop of the MARRI Member States’ Heads of Reception Centres for Asylum Seekers and MOI Asylum Units on topic “Best practices in reception asylum seekers by family and gender categories,” held in Skopje and Ohrid, Macedonia on 17- 19 November 2009. Launching Meeting/Workshop was a follow up activity from the Study Visit/Workshop “Best practices in managing reception/detention

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The MARRI Regional Centre, under Montenegrin Presidency of the Initiative and thanks to kind financial support from the Czech Government, organised a Workshop “Management of Labour Migration in MARRI Member States” in Skopje on 16 October 2009. The opening speech was delivered by Mr. Marjanco Todorovski, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, Republic of Macedonia. One of the top priorities of Migration, Asylum, Refugees, Regional Initiative is to enhance capacities of its Member States to

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The first MARRI Regional Committee Meeting, organised by the MARRI Regional Centre under Montenegrin MARRI Presidency, was held in Skopje on 21 and 22 September 2009.  The meeting was opened by H.E. Mr. Abdulkadar Memedi, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Macedonia. The MARRI Regional Committee, consisting of high level official of Ministries of Foreign Affairs of MARRI Member States, coordinates the activities and provides guidelines for the MARRI initiative and considers ways of implementing

SKOPJE, Macedonia – In line with MARRI priorities in the area of visa and consular cooperation and with the kind financial support of the Czech Government, the MARRI Regional Centre and the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (under the Montenegrin MARRI Presidency) organised a study visit/workshop “Best practices in management of visa systems,” held in Skopje on 23 June 2009. Its objective was to assist MARRI Member States’ national institutions responsible for managing overall visa issuing process in their efforts

POTSDAM, Germany – The study visit/workshop, “Best practices in managing reception/detention centers for asylum seekers,” organised by the MARRI Regional Centre in partnership with Ministry of Interior of Land of Brandenburg, was held in Potsdam and Eisenhüttenstadt Detention Centre for Asylum Seekers in Land of Brandenburg, Germany on 18-19 June 2009. Its objective was to assist the MARRI Member States’ national institutions responsible for managing reception/detention centers for asylum seekers in their efforts to achieve international and European minimum standards

SKOPJE, Macedonia – The MARRI Regional Centre, together with the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior, within its capacity of MARRI Presidency-In-Office,  organised a Workshop titled “Establishment of network for cooperation among border police on international airport border crossing points in MARRI Member States,” held in Skopje on 27 March 2009. The MARRI Member States are facing many challenges in their efforts to tackle increasingly complex and diverse phenomenon of irregular migration and its effects to