International affairs

Migration and internal security are key priorities for EU external relations, ensuring a coordinated and coherent approach by involving all relevant stakeholders. Cooperation with external partners is key to address migration challenges and opportunities. This collaboration is based on both bilateral engagement and also regional or multilateral partnerships. Bilateral engagement allows direct work with individual countries to tailor solutions to their unique needs and circumstances. Regional and multilateral cooperation ensures that challenges shared by multiple countries are addressed collectively. 

Migration cooperation with international partners

Migration issues often transcend borders, such as managing migratory flows across an entire region or route, or dismantling international smuggling networks. By working together through multilateral platforms such as regional forums, international organisations, or cross-border initiatives, the EU and its global partners strengthen their common ability to address complex migration issues. 

The Commission also monitors migration developments in non-EU countries and contributes to improving the cooperation between the EU and those countries. This cooperation involves coordinating relations with relevant international organisations, in particular UN agencies and the Council of Europe. Cooperation is supported by financing instruments for concrete actions in the field of home affairs.

Protecting the EU and its citizens is no longer only about ensuring security within the EU borders, but also about addressing the external dimension of internal security. Cooperation with non-EU countries and at global level is crucial for tackling shared challenges and enhancing security within the EU. This is why the EU and its Member States focus on working with countries of origin, transit, and destination to address drivers of migration, promote safe and legal pathways, and manage migration flows more effectively. These priorities and commitments are outlined in the Pact on Migration and Asylum, which provides a comprehensive framework for balancing responsibility and solidarity within the EU while strengthening partnerships with external stakeholders to achieve sustainable, long-term migration solutions. 

Security cooperation with international partners

The ProtectEU - European Internal Security Strategy sets out a comprehensive agenda to ensure a safer and more secure Union. This strategy addresses the evolving threat landscape, prioritising the protection of people, societies and local communities and businesses with three overarching objectives: stepping up capabilities to protect people; mainstreaming security considerations in EU policy and external action; and reinforcing a whole-of-society approach to ensure EU security and safety.

The EU engages with non-EU countries to combat serious organised crime, drugs and firearms trafficking, trafficking in human beings, counterfeiting, fight against terrorism and terrorist financing, radicalisation and violent extremism, as well as to deter and react to cyber-attacks and combat cybercrime.

The EU's engagement with non-EU countries encompasses a broad spectrum of initiatives aimed at protecting the EU's internal security, focusing on the fight against drugs and organised crime, on countering terrorism and money laundering and on preventing radicalisation. This engagement aims to enhance the law enforcement and criminal justice cooperation between the EU, non-EU countries and international partners. The cooperation includes EU-funded capacity building programmes, joint investigative teams, high-level dialogues on justice and security, as well as strategic partnerships, working arrangements and international agreements.