Ministerial Conferences

On 24-25 October 2022, at the Fourth Prague Process Ministerial Conference, Ministers and high-level officials from the Prague Process countries endorsed a Joint Declaration and Action Plan 2023-2027, which shall sustain and expand the Prague Process cooperation in the coming years. Organised by the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union in Prague, the conference allowed the Parties to discuss the most pressing migration issues and agree on a joint way forward in addressing them.

The Parties decided to widen the scope of their joint work, signifying the commitment to deepen the established cooperation, while recognising present realities and pressing challenges that require joint solutions. They also have called for more operational collaboration, including through sharing of information, capacity building, modern technologies and digitalisation. The Prague Process Migration Observatory and Training Academy shall expand existing capacities and enhance the resilience of the Parties, allowing them to react quickly and flexibly to emerging challenges.

The 3rd Prague Process Ministerial Conference was held in Bratislava on 20 September 2016 under the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU. Gathered at the Conference Ministers, Chairmen of migration services and high-level officials reassured their commitment to the Process, addressed the most pressing migration issues and have moved towards decisions which have the strength to positively shape tomorrow's migration policies.

Speakers at the Conference underlined that solutions to the challenges in various migration-related spheres such as border management, asylum, return, irregular migration should be elaborated collectively, pointing out to the fact that development of effective measures goes beyond the capacity of one single state. The positive role of the Prague Process in the efficient migration management throughout the region, and the success of the implemented to this day initiatives, on the one side, as well as future migration challenges and emigration pressures on the other side, became a good reason for participating countries to express the interest in prolonging the Prague Process Action Plan.

The Ministerial Conference resulted in the adoption of the Joint Declaration which paved the way for the continuation of joint cooperation and gave a mandate to the Process for the years 2017-2021.

The 2nd Ministerial Conference The Prague Process - Building Migration Partnerships in Action, hosted by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place in Poznan on 4 November 2011. The conference gathered Ministers and high-level representatives with the ministerial mandate of 47 countries, the European Commission, General Secretariat of the EU Council, European Training Foundation, Europol, Frontex, ICMPD, ILO, IOM, MARRI and UNHCR.

The Conference started with welcoming speeches by Poland, the Czech Republic and the European Commission. While the Czech Republic reverted to the history of the Prague Process and the Building Migration Partnerships initiative, Poland and the European Commission underlined the importance of the Prague Process future. The European Commission has marked the Prague Process as a priority targeted migration dialogue process with the wider geographical scope and the key regional framework for the dialogue under the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility towards the Eastern and South-Eastern neighbourhood of the European Union. After six thematic sessions following the Action Plan structure, the Prague Process Action Plan 2012-2016 was unanimously endorsed by all participants.

The Action Plan 2012 – 2016 has brought to the list of the main principles of the Prague Process the sixth topic – the strengthening capacities in the area of asylum and international protection. The adoption of the “Prague Process Action Plan for 2012–2016”, which covers the six afore-mentioned thematic areas, was the main outcome of the Poznan conference.

On 28 April 2009, the 1st Prague Process Ministerial Conference “Building Migration Partnerships”, hosted by the Czech European Union Presidency in Prague, adopted a Joint Declaration on the principles and elements for promoting migration partnerships between the participating states from the European Union, Schengen Area, South Eastern and Eastern Europe, Central Asia and Turkey. The text of the Joint Declaration, which set the principles for the Prague Process, was prepared by all BMP participating states, with active participation of EU bodies (European Commission, Frontex, Europol, European Training Foundation) and international organisations (ICMPD, IOM, MARRI and UNHCR).

The Conference mandated the senior officials to further elaborate the agreed principles and elements of migration partnerships. The first ongoing project “Building Migration Partnerships” funded by the European Commission, aimed at assisting to implementation of the endorsed results of this political process.