The Representatives of Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia have met on 23-24 February 2023 on the occasion of the 2nd European Conference on Border Management in Athens. At the end of the proceedings, a Joint Declaration of Conclusions was signed by a total of 15 participating Member States, stating inter alia that:

• Further efforts are needed to address the gaps in existing EU legal framework. In this regard, the Member States called for the swift adoption of the amendments to the Schengen Borders Code as well as completion of work on the relevant legislative proposals with the aim to swiftly ensure the normal functioning of the Schengen Area, as well as for progress, in particular concerning countering instrumentalization of migrants for political purposes, and measures against transport operators engaged in or facilitating  migrant smuggling and human trafficking.
   
• More effective border control implies the need of reinforcing operational capabilities, where possible with neighboring countries, as well as infrastructure (mobile and stationary), means of surveillance (including pre-frontier aerial surveillance) and equipment.
   
• Adequate financial support to frontline Member States at the external borders is required for all types of border protection infrastructure including physical barriers and other related reception costs. The support of Frontex should also be increased and fully deployed in the most affected  Member States.
   
• The support to third countries should be continued and upscaled to provide for comprehensive partnerships, including in the area of migration. It is worthwhile exploring the possibility of, and where relevant legally enabling, safe third country arrangements with relevant countries along the EU’s external borders and beyond.

For further information, please read the full Declaration on this page.