site.btaCabinet Approves Agreement with Greece on Joint Contact Centre for Police and Customs Cooperation

The Council of Ministers Wednesday approved a draft Agreement between Bulgaria and Greece on the establishment and operation of a joint contact centre for police and customs cooperation, to serve as a basis for negotiations.

The draft Agreement modernizes the existing 2008 accord between Bulgaria and Greece on cooperation between border guard, police, customs, and immigration control authorities.

The document sets out the general provisions for establishing and operating the joint contact centre, the competent authorities, forms and methods of cooperation, data and information protection, as well as the creation of joint committees to support implementation.

The new Agreement envisages expanding the scope and digitizing the exchange of information, updating the list of competent authorities, and introducing joint staff training, among other measures.

The competent authorities on the Bulgarian side will be the Ministry of the Interior and the Customs Agency under the Minister of Finance.