Press Advisories

8. 3. 201623:10

Prime Minister Sobotka asked the President of the European Commission Juncker for a better exchange of information related to migration

Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka addressed the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, in a letter inviting him to propose measures to improve the exchange of information on migration with non-EU countries in the Balkans. The aim of the initiative of Prime Minister Sobotka is for the western Balkan states to adequately use data, including relevant EU databases relating to the identification of asylum seekers and persons who were apprehended when illegally crossing the borders of the Union.

Prime Minister Sobotka acted in support of a common European solution to the migration situation and in response to the February summit of the V4 and discussions of the prime ministers of Visegrad Group countries with the President of Macedonia. The President of the Commission Juncker welcomed this request and confirmed to the Czech Prime Minister he will submit a proposal reflecting this theme as soon as possible.

“Based on the discussions at the Prague V4 Summit, I sent a letter to the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, in which I asked the Commission to consider the possibility of improving information sharing with non-member states of the western Balkan route. The President personally confirmed to me yesterday during an extraordinary meeting of the EU and Turkey that he welcomes this requirement and that he will urgently bring forward proposals to the Commission, which will help the western Balkan countries manage migratory pressure”, said Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.

The Czech Republic together with other countries of the Visegrad Group has long emphasized the need for greater EU engagement and assistance to countries on the western Balkan route, which are subjected to strong migratory pressure. Better exchange of data related to migration is a crucial priority in this respect because, inter alia, cooperation with non-EU countries on the western Balkan migration route is a prerequisite for the success of a common European solution to the migration crisis.

An example of such a database is the Eurodac system, which collects the fingerprints of asylum seekers and makes it easier to identify and prevent migrants from applying for asylum in several Member States.