On 30 January, State Secretary Petrijevčanin participated in an informal meeting of EU interior ministers in Warsaw, following Poland’s assumption of the Council of the EU presidency. The discussions focused on migration management, strengthening the EU’s resilience, and security challenges ahead of the upcoming EU Internal Security Strategy.
On migration, Petrijevčanin emphasized the need for continuous assessment of existing measures and openness to new solutions. She welcomed the European Commission’s forthcoming legislative proposal on returns and called for prioritizing returns of third-country nationals posing security risks. She also supported ongoing discussions on readmission agreements with key countries and further harmonization of return-related measures outside the EU, ensuring they do not increase pressure on external borders. Additionally, she backed efforts to combat migrant smuggling and endorsed negotiations on sanctions for transport operators facilitating irregular migration. She highlighted Croatia’s police activities that led to a 58% reduction in illegal crossings and announced new international cooperation initiatives to enhance Schengen security. Ahead of the new EU Security Strategy, she emphasized that security should be integrated across all European policies. Key priorities included combating migrant smuggling, drug crime, and money laundering, strengthening Europol, and addressing cybersecurity threats.