On 19–20 October 2022, the annual training on visa-related matters for consular staff from diplomatic and consular missions of Latvia will be held in Riga and Daugavpils. The present training session is organised under a project, “Providing regional training for consular officers on EU policy for issuing uniform visas in line with the requirements of the European Visa Code (2nd stage)”, with financial support from the European Union Internal Security Fund (Contract No. ĀM/IDF/2020/3).
This year, the focus will be placed on the assessment of security risks during the processing of visa applications. The high relevance of the topic has been determined by recent developments at the external border of the Schengen Area that have been triggered by both the flow of irregular border crossings orchestrated by the Belarusian regime, and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Unlike the two previous year, when training was held remotely due the pandemic-related restrictions, this year, an in-person session at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will bring together consular officers from the Latvian diplomatic missions and consular posts in Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, Egypt, France, Georgia, India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Uzbekistan.
The training programme covers topics on restrictions to the crossing of the external border of the Schengen Area, legislative amendments, and work with the National Visa Information System. A study visit has also been planned to the Silene border crossing point at the Latvian-Belarusian border to explore the practical aspects of entry and departure of foreign nationals and of transiting control, and current challenges.
Experts from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs, the State Border Guard, and the State Security Service will contribute to the training session as lecturers.