• Ministry of Home Affairs hosted the Ministerial Conference that brought together high dignitaries and representatives of European Union and Middle Eastern and North African countries.

• Attending countries committed to setting up a Regional Dialogue Reference Framework to boost cooperation in law enforcement.

• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Portugal and the European Agency Frontex.

European Union, Middle Eastern and North African countries committed to setting up a Regional Dialogue Reference Framework. 

The Ministry of Home Affairs hosted the ‘EU-MENA States Ministerial Conference: Towards a Regional Dialogue to Boost Cooperation in Safety and Security’, which was held on 13 and 14 November at the Estoril Congress Centre in Cascais. 

The invitation sent by the Minister of Home Affairs Maria Lúcia Amaral was accepted by the vast majority of EU Member States and Middle East and North African countries’ high dignitaries to a total of around 50 delegations and more than 170 attendees. 

The opening session was presided over by the Minister of Home Affairs, who noted the importance of boosting EU-MENA cooperation as an essential response to the common security challenges, stressing also the need for innovative coordination mechanisms and an integrated approach to the constantly evolving global threats.

Among others, the following attended this Ministerial Conference: the Saudi Arabian Minister of Interior, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, the Secretary-General of the Arab League’s Arabic Council of Ministers of Interior, the Secretary-General of INTERPOL, the Executive Director of Frontex, the Executive Deputy Director for Operations of EUROPOL, representatives from the African Union, UNODC and CEPOL, as well as other high-ranking officials. 

This second EU-MENA States Ministerial Conference, sponsored at the highest level by the President of the Republic and with the support of Cascais Municipality was the corollary of the Lisbon Conclusions adopted in 2023. 

Furthermore, the attendees noted Portugal’s role as a strategic bridge between Europe and the MENA region, contributing to deepening and consolidating a strategic and trustworthy partnership in law enforcement. 

Under the motto "Together, we are Safer and Stronger, shaping trust" and attentive to national contexts and priorities, all attendees shared their vision on the constant evolution of the threats to societies’ and citizens’ security. 

In the framework of a strategic high-level operational cooperation dialogue, the states in attendance undertook to set up a Regional Dialogue Reference Framework, among the EU and MENA states, to boost cooperation in law enforcement and security to better prevent and respond to the common security challenges that affect both regions. 

On the side of this conference, a Memorandum of Understanding on Portugal’s border control and Frontex. This Memorandum was signed by the Minister of the Presidency, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Internal Security System, and Frontex.