Minister of Internal Affairs Catalin Predoiu pleaded, during a meeting with his counterparts from Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece, for strengthening the legal framework at the European level to streamline measures for the return of third-country nationals who are illegally present on EU territory.

The discussions held in Brussels on Wednesday focused on coordination on topics of common interest on the European agenda, especially those related to increasing the efficiency of return systems and adopting preventive measures regarding the situation in Syria.

'The ministers reviewed the regional and international context, which requires strengthening cooperation, dialogue and communication between partners. They highlighted the increased responsibility of the four states to protect the external borders of the Union, against phenomena such as organised crime, drug trafficking or migration,' reads a press release from the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) sent to AGERPRES on Thursday.

Predoiu underscored that a complete digitisation of all stages of the return process is needed to increase efficiency in combating secondary movements of illegal migrants.

'Some of the nationals of third countries with illegal residence represent a threat to our societies. We need better tools to raise the level of cooperation between us and with third countries,' said Catalin Predoiu, according to the MAI release.

According to the press release, in the context of the volatile situation in Syria, also discussed was the need for coordinated actions at the European level, both from the perspective of internal security implications for the EU and from a migration perspective, including the return of Syrian citizens currently on EU territory.

Minister Predoiu stressed that prolonged instability increases the risk of intensified arms trafficking and drug trafficking, fueling both terrorist networks and transnational organised crime. Additionally, the deteriorating situation in northern Syria and potential tensions could generate new migration flows to the EU, which need to be closely monitored, the source added.

'We must maintain increased attention when talking about Syria. On the one hand, we need to strengthen security checks at borders, improve information exchange, monitor extremist networks, and intensify efforts to combat arms trafficking, drug trafficking and terrorism financing. On the other hand, we are in favour of strong coordination with international organisations and other partners to assess the conditions that would allow the voluntary return of Syrians to their homeland and address all protection concerns, as this process can only take place with respect for their dignity and under safe conditions,' Predoiu said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Alexandru Florea; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)