From September 17 to 18, 2025, the Chief of the State Border Guard, General Guntis Pujāts, participated in a meeting of the heads of the border guard institutions of the Baltic States and Germany, which took place in Potsdam, Germany.
During the meeting, the heads of the border guard institutions discussed current issues concerning the protection of the EU's external border, including the challenges on the Belarus-Latvia border, which remains one of the central segments of the eastern migration route. The heads of the institutions paid special attention to future cooperation plans, improving information exchange, and forms of support between the Baltic States and the German Federal Police. The meeting concluded with an insight into the operations of Germany's border guard structures.
The event was attended by the Chief of the State Border Guard Service of Lithuania, General Rustamas Ļubajevas, the Director General of the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, Egert Belitšev, as well as the leadership and international cooperation specialists of the German Federal Police.
Such meetings foster a common approach to regional security issues and strengthen the partnership between the Baltic States and Germany, ensuring more effective protection of the EU's external border.
EU Support for Strengthening External Borders
The security and protection of the EU's external borders is a shared responsibility. To ensure this, the EU provides substantial financial and technical support to Member States, especially those facing increased pressure, such as on the Latvia-Belarus border.
This support is delivered through various instruments that help strengthen border management, combat organized crime, and ensure overall internal security across the EU territory.
The Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI) is strategically vital for external border management. It is a targeted EU instrument that serves as the backbone for Member States' efforts to modernize and strengthen border control infrastructure and systems. This support ensures not only a response to existing crises but also long-term resilience:
Technological Modernisation - the BMVI funds the procurement of high-tech equipment indispensable for complex border surveillance. These investments allow for improved border monitoring.
Interoperability of Information Systems - funding is also directed toward the development and interoperability of EU-wide IT systems. This is critical for ensuring fast and effective data and information exchange between national border guard services and European agencies, thereby guaranteeing that all Schengen Area participants work with up-to-date and complete information.
Personnel Capacity - the BMVI supports the training of border guards and other security personnel, ensuring they are ready for new challenges, such as hybrid threats, and are capable of working professionally with new technologies in line with EU standards and human rights norms.
EU support ensures that the Baltic States and other EU Member States can effectively respond to the evolving threats and challenges at the EU's external border, thereby protecting the entire internal area of the EU.
