International cooperation
On December 15, 2023, the Director of the Federal Police, Michael Takacs, participated in the induction and diploma ceremony for candidates for this year's course at the Swiss Federal Office of Customs and Border Security in Bern.
At the working meeting preceding the diploma ceremony in Bern, Federal Police Director Michael Takacs highlighted the excellent cooperation with the Swiss Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (BAZG) and emphasized the importance of the partnership, especially in the area of border security. . Austria registered more than 112,000 asylum applications in 2022, with more than 75 percent of applicants unregistered. There is currently a decline in arrests in Austria compared to 2022, but the numbers are still too high. The situation along the Mediterranean routes and the Western Balkans route is not improving, Takacs noted.
Protection of European borders
The Director of the Federal Police explained that Austria is facing the challenges with regular border controls. “Border protection is a pan-European task,” said Takacs. Austria currently deploys operational officers to Frontex operations in 16 countries and is involved in numerous bilateral and multilateral initiatives. Joint efforts at European level have led to the withdrawal of visa exemptions for Tunisia and India and, therefore, a notable decrease in asylum applications. The Ministry of the Interior provides its own deployment contingents for bilateral and trilateral operations to support border control activities in Serbia and Hungary.
Migration routes
BAZG Director Isabelle Emmenegger reported a significant increase in migration from Italy to Switzerland, although Switzerland is not the desired destination for the majority of migrants. While most people entered Switzerland through the eastern border in 2022, more entries could be seen through the southern and southwestern border in 2023, Emmenegger said. For the most part, most migrants would continue on to France and Germany. Emmenegger emphasized the “very good cooperation” with Austria and was extremely interested in its operational concepts. As a result of the bilateral meeting, a follow-up visit by a Swiss delegation to the Federal Police Directorate was agreed for 2024.
Article number: 26440 of Tuesday, December 19, 2023, 4:06 pm
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