site.btaPolice and Customs Cooperation Agreement with Greece in the Pipeline

The Council of Ministers (CoM) on Wednesday approved a draft agreement between the governments of Bulgaria and Greece on the establishment and operation of a Police and Customs Cooperation Centre. The approved draft will serve as the basis for negotiations, the Bulgarian government said on Wednesday, covering the CoM's weekly meeting.

The draft sets out the general provisions governing the operation of the centre, the forms and methods of cooperation, the protection of data and information, and the establishment of joint committees to support its implementation. It also provides for expanding the scope of information exchange and digitalizing it, updating the list of competent authorities, introducing joint staff training, and other measures.

Once the agreement enters into force, it will replace the current Agreement on the Establishment and Operation of a Contact Centre for Cooperation between the Border Guard Authorities, Police, Customs Authorities and Administrative Foreign Control Services, signed in Sofia on April 29, 2008.

The Bulgarian authorities responsible for implementing the agreement will be the Ministry of the Interior and the Customs Agency under the Minister of Finance.

In a separate decision, the government approved a protocol between Bulgaria's Ministry of Interior and Greece's Ministry of Citizen Protection on the establishment of joint patrols and other joint operations to maintain public order and security and prevent crime in the areas adjacent to the internal EU border between Bulgaria and Greece.

The protocol establishes the legal and organizational framework for joint patrols and joint operations by the competent authorities of the two countries in the adjoining border areas. Its aim is to strengthen practical police cooperation, enhance security, and improve coordination in combating crime and maintaining public order.

The protocol is expected to contribute to more effective information exchange and operational cooperation between the Bulgarian and Greek law enforcement authorities, including in the context of both countries' membership of the Schengen area and the increased cross-border movement of people and vehicles.

It will also facilitate a faster response to incidents and cross-border threats, and coordinated action in the prevention of and fight against crime and illegal migration.

On the Bulgarian side, the Ministry of Interior will be the competent authority responsible for implementing the protocol.