The ministers signed the joint declaration at the 4th annual ministerial conference on border security in Southeast Europe that was taking place in the southern Croatian Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik.
Croatian Interior Minister Ivica Kirin did not sign the declaration because on its path to European Union membership Croatia had made a series of adjustments under the Programme Guidelines for 2004-2007, including the reform of the border police service.
Croatia's task is to convey to other Southeast European countries the knowledge it has gained on its path to the European Union. In this context, Minister Kirin recalled during the conference that his ministry had already completed nine projects as part of border police reform, worth around 15 million euro.
Kirin stressed the need to increase the number of border police officers in the process of adjustment to the Schengen border regime.
The ministerial part of the conference ended with the signing of the joint declaration. On the last day of the conference on Saturday, border police chiefs are to discuss the latest achievements in EU border security standards, the conclusions of the conference and future activities.