Berlin – The online Summit of Western Balkan Prime Ministers and the EU leaders, hosted by German Chancellor Angela Merkel took place on 5 July 2021, with the participants assessing the results of regional cooperation and defining the future steps in securing the democracy, prosperity and stability of the region and it future integration in Europe. Reflecting on the topic of migration, the participants of the meeting agreed that further joint response is needed but acknowledged MARRI’s efforts on the

Podgorica – The MARRI Regional Forum of Ministers of Interior/Security marked the end of MARRI Presidency-in-Office by Montenegro (June 2020 – June 2021) and the beginning of North Macedonia yearlong chairmanship over the Initiative. Along with the MARRI Participant’s delegations, the meeting was attended by representatives of international organisatons among which UNHCR, IOM, EASO, Frontex, RCC, IISG and GIZ.  As per usual, the Ministerial Forum provided an opportunity for MARRI Participants to discuss current and future activities of MARRI in

The discussions of the fourth (online) session of the PaCT Steering Group focused on developing approaches for enhancing the functionality of the National Referral Mechanisms (NRMs) as well as implementation of mental health and psycho-social support (MHPSS) measures in the reception centers and shelters for victims of trafficking in human beings. The discussions were based on the key findings of a research and expert assessments on above-mentioned topics, presented by GIZ Project team. The Steering Group contemplated the way forward

The Practitioner’s Guide for Developing Strategies against Trafficking in Human Beings and Action Plans is a product of the regional project for “Preventing and Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings – PaCT”, commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ and MARRI as strategic partner. The overall objective of the Practitioner’s Guide is supporting THB Coordinators and anti-trafficking stakeholders in the process of development of Strategies and Action Plans for preventing and combatting

Budva – In line with the priorities of Montenegro Presidency-in-Office in the area of border management, MARRI Regional Centre organised a meeting for high officials of Border Police in the MARRI Participants to exchange of information about the current state of play regarding the migration flows and share ideas for cooperation in addressing the common challenges at regional level. Key topics of the discussion were the influence of Covid19 on migration, regulating the safe cross-border movements and required measures for

As both, migration and digitalization are global trends which will significantly shape the social, economic and political patterns in the coming decades, the RC Director Mr. Sashko Kocev took a new initiative and proposed a Digital Agenda which will include a digital transformation of the organizational activities, tools, processes, competencies and models, to fully balance the changes and opportunities in a strategic and prioritized way. A comprehensive background INFORMATION from the Integrated Expert Mr. Christoph von Harsdorf (GIZ PMD) served

In line with the Priorities of the Montenegro Presidency-in-Office, MARRI Regional Centre organized the first semiannual meeting of the Heads of Asylum Departments Network, which gathered asylum experts from the Ministries of Interior/Security of MARRI Participants as well as representatives from the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Malta.  Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, this session of the Asylum Network was organized online via Zoom. On behalf of the Presidency-in-Office, the opening remarks were delivered by MARRI Participant Representative

Skopje – Exchange of views about the regional priorities when it comes to migration and MARRI’s role in the overall efforts to improve the mechanisms for orderly migration, were the main topics for discussion during the first official visit of the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Skopje, H.E. Mr. Dragan Jacimovic to the MARRI Regional Centre. The Embassy’s Counsellor Mr. Damir Masic and Bosnia and Herzegovina Representative to MARRI RC, Dr. Ankica Tomic also attended the meeting. The occasion provided an

As part of IOM’s institutional support to MARRI within IPA II Project “Support to Protection-sensitive Migration Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey”, IOM is announcing an open call for the position Migration Data and Policy Analyst. The successful candidate will be responsible for the execution of tasks related to collection, analysis, and publication of migration-related data in the Western Balkans. The Migration Data and Policy Analyst will work under the direct supervision of the MARRI RC Director, overall supervision of

The Montenegro Presidency-in-Office of MARRI wishes to recruit an experienced person to serve as Director of MARRI Regional Centre in Skopje, with staring date of August 1, 2021.  The post is offered to the MARRI Participants (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo*) on a secondment basis. The vacancy is opened from 31 January until 1 April 2021 and the applications should be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro, Directorate General for Multilateral Affairs, and