Police to Control Schengen Border with New Helicopter
Prime Minister Janez Jansa announced on Friday that Slovenia's EU presidency in the first half of 2008 would focus on the ratification process for the new EU treaty, which was agreed by EU leaders early on Friday morning.
Head of the air police unit, Vojko Robnik, told the press that the Eurocopter EC 135, together with equipment and training of eight pilots and seven technicians, had cost EUR 8.88m. The investment was financed from the EU funds for the protection of Schengen borders.
The air police unit is now ready for all tasks it will face after entering the Schengen zone, added Robnik. "The process of adopting the Schengen no-border zone is coming to a close," said Daniel Zibret of the General Police Administration. He added that in the last two years Slovenia had successfully passed all evaluations and introduced the Schengen Information System. Effective protection of the border also demands an increase in the number and relocation of police officers from the borders that are to be closed to the Schengen border, said Marko Gasperlin of the General Police Administration. Also being wrapped up an EUR 100m investment in the infrastructure for the protection of the Schengen border, which includes the construction of 30 new buildings and adaptation of police stations along the border, he added.
According to Gasperlin, the police this year managed to reduce the number of illegal border crossings by 40%. "The southern border functions as an effective barrier to illegal immigration, which is one of the requirements of the external Schengen border," said Gasperlin.
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|