Border management specialists from Peru, Chile and Uruguay visit Madrid and Malaga to learn about police cooperation practices

The last decade has seen a profound transformation in the dynamics of migration in Latin America, influenced by a range of social, economic, political and environmental factors.

The countries of the region face enormous challenges as they become recipients of migrant populations and must redouble their efforts for efficient border management. In this same sense, one of the objectives of border management in the European Union is the adequate organisation of migratory flows, which is necessary for the free movement of people within its internal borders and a fundamental component for the creation of an area of freedom, security and justice in the European Union.

The visit organised by the European EUROFRONT project was attended by representatives of the National Police and the National Superintendency of Migration of Peru, the Border Crossings Unit and the Police of Chile, the National Police and the National Directorate of Migration of Uruguay were the institutions represented in the visits carried out during these two weeks.

These specialists, seeking to share experiences and knowledge on border management, began by visiting the General Commissariat for Aliens and Borders in Madrid, where they were able to learn about the work of National Police units.

The visit covered topics such as the operations of Punto Atenas, the functioning of the Police and Customs Cooperation Centres and the implementation of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), initiatives aimed at improving border security.

Subsequently, the delegation was able to visit the different areas of Terminal 4 of the Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas airport with the National Police to learn about identification techniques and the processing of different crimes at this point of entry.

Once in Malaga, and with the collaboration of the Civil Guard, they visited the Strait of Gibraltar Coordination Centre, a valuable example of coordination of the institutions belonging to different ministries involved in migration matters, as well as the daily work operations in border management at the Port of Malaga.

Borders, strategic points of cooperation

This exchange of knowledge between regions is part of the methodology implemented by EUROFRONT. The European programme develops its action with nine partner countries in a national dimension but pays special attention to the promotion of the regional dimension, facilitating collective work between countries, the production of common tools and the work in supranational alliances and networks.

Some of the milestones achieved by the EUROFRONT programme and its nine partner countries in the field of Integrated Border Management are the reactivation and support of the work carried out by regional border integration instruments, such as CAN and MERCOSUR, the creation and implementation of Supranational Thematic Networks such as the Athens Network, or the study of the 'One Stop Control' system to improve mobility and security at borders.