Hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens have participated, and continue to participate, in the war against Ukraine. The ministers note that men returning from the war with military experience are likely to reinforce and strengthen Russian organized criminal groups, thereby posing a significant criminal threat to the European Union.
“Member States should take all necessary steps to ensure that individuals who are or have been employed by the Russian armed forces or other armed groups acting on behalf of the regime are not allowed to undermine our security or move freely within the Schengen area. It is particularly important to avoid granting residence permits or visas to those who have taken part in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the ministers urge, calling for the implementation of visa bans on those who fought against Ukraine.
The ministers gathered in Tallinn stress that the EU’s land border remains particularly vulnerable to state-sponsored migration and that strengthening the Union’s external borders with adequate infrastructure requires greater political commitment and support.
Both organized crime networks and hostile states are increasingly using new technologies to achieve their objectives. “It is our shared responsibility to stay ahead of these threats,” the ministers state, highlighting the importance of continuous investment in modern technological solutions for monitoring and protecting the EU’s external borders. “A modern border protection infrastructure includes a strong and deterrent drone capability — the ability to detect, track, and prevent drone activities that pose a threat to our border security. Our borders need an integrated counter-drone system.”
The ministers describe it as the duty of the EU Member States and the Union as a whole to strengthen internal security, increase resilience to hybrid threats, enhance the protection of critical infrastructure, and dismantle networks of terrorism, violent extremism, and organized crime.
“The European Union, NATO, and the Schengen area together form our common security space, and its protection requires unity and enhanced cooperation among us. A strong external border and our resilience are the wall of our freedom,” conclude the ministers responsible for internal security from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Finland in their Tallinn joint statement.
The meeting in Tallinn was also attended by European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner and Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens.
