Conference of the Council of Baltic Sea States to discuss the management of immigration and migratory flows

Press release 99/2017
24 May 2017

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will host a Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) conference on Soft security and Migration in the Baltic Sea Region in Helsinki on 30–31 May 2017.

The principal theme of the conference is the management of immigration and migratory flows in the Baltic Sea Region from a broad security perspective. Underlying the conference is the Baltic Law Enforcement Analysis Cooperation (BALANCE) flagship project (2015) headed by the Finnish Border Guard that recommends the police, customs and border control authorities of the Baltic Sea Region strengthen their cooperation.

The conference is organised in collaboration with the CBSS Task Force Against Trafficking in Human Beings and the CBSS Secretariat.

The opening speech will be given by Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General of the Finnish Ministry of the Interior. The keynote speaker at the conference is Eugenio Ambrosi, Regional Director of IOM (International Organization for Migration) for Europe. The conference will also be attended by Ambassador Maira Mora, Director General of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, and Kirsi Pimiä, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Finland. The event will bring together a large number of speakers and participants from countries in the Baltic Sea area, from law enforcement and immigration authorities to organisations and research scientists.

The purpose of the conference is to improve the collaboration and exchange of information related to immigration and migratory flows between various authorities, organisations and other operators of the CBSS Member States, and to promote safety, immigrant integration and good relations between different population groups. The purpose of the three conference working groups is to share concrete experiences, present promising practices and develop recommendations for improving collaboration between Baltic Sea countries in matters related to immigration and migratory flows. The outcomes and recommendations of the conference will be published in the autumn 2017 in the form of a CBSS online publication.

The CBSS presidency is currently held by Iceland.

Inquiries: Kristina Pingoud, Senior Adviser, tel. +358 50 344 2844; Vuokko Ranki, Assistant, Baltic Sea Affairs, MFA (practical arrangements), tel. +358 50 324 8366; and Anniina Jokinen, Adviser, CBSS Secretariat, tel. + 46 702721347.

The Foreign Ministry e-mail address format is: [email protected].