site.btaBulgaria and Bavaria Pledge Closer Cooperation on Migration and Security

The Danube region offers opportunities for cultural and economic exchange, but it also provides organized crime with opportunities to exploit the region. "We are witnessing migrant smuggling, irregular migration, cybercrime and hybrid threats, all of which we must address," said Joachim Herrmann, Minister of the Interior, Sport and Integration of the German federal state of Bavaria, speaking in Sofia on Tuesday.

"The security of European citizens is at the centre of our attention, and we are protecting it through joint efforts," he said, thanking the new Bulgarian government for continuing the country's successful cooperation with Bavaria and Germany. 

Herrmann was speaking at a joint briefing with Bulgarian Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev during a ministerial conference of the countries participating in the European Union Strategy for the Danube Region, held in Sofia.

Regarding irregular migration and migrant smuggling, he said authorities are working to monitor and disrupt smuggling routes to prevent migrants from reaching Central and Western Europe. "We are working closely with Europol and Frontex, as well as with colleagues from the affected countries and from the migrants' countries of origin," Herrmann noted.

Discussing cybercrime, he said numerous initiatives are underway and that close cooperation is helping to protect critical infrastructure, with joint efforts delivering very positive results.

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has fundamentally changed the security architecture of the region, Herrmann said.

"Our immediate priority is to address the concrete challenges related to protecting our countries from illegal activities, such as arms trafficking, which extend far beyond the borders of individual states," he added.