The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched a new project that will continue the long-standing practice of organizing annual regional training for consular officials and clerks who process and review visa applications at Latvian diplomatic and consular missions abroad.
The aim of the training is to improve the professional qualifications of officials in order to ensure a uniform practice of issuing Schengen visas in all Latvian diplomatic and consular missions, strictly applying the requirements of the Schengen acquis, to prevent the entry into Latvia of persons who could pose a threat to national security or violate the rules of stay, while at the same time facilitating the receipt of visas for bona fide entrants.
The implementation of the project will promote national security and prevent the risks posed by illegal migration.
Project No. AM/RPVP/2024/3 "Ensuring regional training of Latvian consular officials on the EU common visa issuance policy in accordance with the requirements of the European Visa Code (Phase 1)" started on April 1, 2024 and will end on December 31, 2026.
It is planned that 121 officials or clerks will participate in the training during the project.
Previously, the training was co-financed from the European Union Internal Security Fund. In the new planning period, funds for this purpose have been allocated from the European Union Fund for Financial Support for Border Management and Visa Policy.
The funding allocated to the project is 314,000 euros, of which the European Union Fund financing is 235,500 euros and the state budget financing is 78,500 euros.
The project is being implemented within the framework of the 2021-2027 programming period of the Financial Support Instrument for Border Management and Visa Policy, the managing authority for which in Latvia is the Ministry of the Interior.
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