International cooperation supports border management

Brussels hosted the presentation of the EUROFRONT, support for border management in Latin America project, which will receive €15 million in European funds over four years. The EUROFRONT initiative will improve security, protect human rights and promote social and economic development at both the national and regional level in Latin America through increased efficiency in the management of four border crossings and by supporting the fight against human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

EUROFRONT has two components. The first of these strengthens the capacity for integrated border management and is executed by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP) and the Ministry of the Interior through the National Police, together with the International Organisation for Migration ( IOM ) and the International Italo-Latin American Organisation (IILA). It also receives support from Frontex and from the Portuguese, Lithuanian and Polish border services. The second component focuses on the fight against human trafficking and is managed by IOM. The project will initially focus on four borders shared by seven countries in Latin America: Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia.

EUROFRONT will be managed by National Police Commissioner José Antonio Cambronero Sicilia. Some of Cambronero’s most recent positions have been as Chief Inspector at the General Department on Immigration, at the headquarters of the operational section at Barajas Airport and in the legal service for immigration and borders. Cambronero Sicilia was recently named chief commissioner of the local Citizen Security brigade in Vigo and throughout the four-year project he will work at the FIIAPP headquarters in Madrid. The project will have specialists from the National Police to carry out specific border management activities.

The event was officially opened by Jorge de la Caballería, Head of the Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO), who said that “EUROFRONT intends to strengthen cross-border cooperation in South America with modern, integrated border management systems. The project also entails addressing citizens’ right to mobility and security in a balanced way and in full respect of fundamental rights”

In turn, FIIAPP director Anna Terron said that “the societies of Latin America and the European Union are both committed to democratic systems with strong institutions. We also share growing social demand for greater transparency and more effective public policies.

LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXT

Latin America has 36 borders with a total length of 41,120 km shared by 18 countries. The region has several integration and consultation processes that help to reduce immigration and customs controls, facilitating the transit of people and goods. The concept of integrated border management has gradually been introduced into border policies, together with increased collaboration between agencies to standardise procedures.

In recent years the region has made substantial progress when establishing systems and sharing information. Countries have developed regulations to fight transnational organised crime, including trafficking in persons, in addition to increasing the capacity to investigate and prosecute crime through police and legal cooperation. However, despite these improvements, crime rates and inequality remain extremely prevalent.