The Senior Officials´ Meeting of the Prague Process on 23-24 June 2026 highlighted the role that each participating state and partner plays in finding whole-of-route solutions to common migration challenges. At the meeting in Skopje, North Macedonia, plenaries and panel discussions also centred on the evolving migration dynamics in all Prague Process¹ countries, including European Union Member States, the Schengen Area, Türkiye, the Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, and Central Asia.
Representatives of more than 30 participating states, European Commission, EU agencies and key international partners - including IOM, UNHCR, MARRI, JCP, and ICMPD - discussed ongoing migration policy priorities and the future direction of the Prague Process.
"If we want migration policies to yield results, it is necessary for the countries, through which migration routes pass, to be equally involved in the creation and implementation of solutions. Only through joint projects, joint capacities, and harmonised procedures can we build a sustainable system that responds to contemporary challenges," said Mr Panche Toshkovski, Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia, emphasising that the Prague Process enables practical cooperation between countries, institutions and experts who work in the field every day.
Minister Toshkovski highlighted the need for stronger cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans in the context of the implementation of the EU Pact; and underlined North Macedonia’s continued commitment to strengthening border management, protecting vulnerable people, and combatting migrant smuggling. Further, he called for predictable funding, operational support, and formal partnership mechanisms to ensure effective implementation of migration policies across the region.
Discussions also included countries’ efforts in supporting displaced Ukrainians, highlighting the value of cooperation between countries of origin, host countries, and international organisations in responding to large-scale displacement. Delegates also discussed future approaches to return, reintegration, and long-term recovery; the full implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum; and challenges in labour migration trends, regional mobility, implications of changing migration patterns for migration governance, and regional cooperation.
“Skopje is the perfect setting to reconnect. This meeting marks another milestone towards the next chapter of the Prague Process, setting the future mandate,” emphasised Tomas Pažitný, Head of EU Migration and Asylum Policy Unit at the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic, as Chair of the Prague Process.
In terms of operational responses related to the full implementation of the EU Pact, the Senior Officials´ Meeting was also a venue to discuss institutional preparedness, legislative alignment, and implications for cooperation with non-EU partners. Participants explored ways to strengthen state resilience and preparedness through enhanced institutional, operational, and technological capacities; while ensuring effective migration governance and compliance with legal and humanitarian obligations.
“The Secretariat at ICMPD is here to fulfil its functions and is grateful for the trust in our joint work over the past 17 years. Having implemented four Ministerial Conferences and a fifth upcoming, our role is to support and facilitate the dialogue and exchanges – the success of which belongs to Prague Process participating states. The Senior Officials´ Meeting is the decision-making body of the Prague Process, setting the direction, mandate and focus of this intergovernmental dialogue in the principle of voluntary basis, non-binding character and equal footing,” said Radim Zak, ICMPD Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and Head of the Prague Process Secretariat.
The event was the first preparatory meeting towards the fifth Prague Process Ministerial Conference, which will be hosted in Vilnius in January 2027, under the Lithuanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. It allowed participating states and partner organisations to jointly review, contribute to, and further develop the Prague Process Action Plan 2028-2032 and Ministerial Declaration – which Ministers will be expected to endorse.
¹ The Prague Process is a migration dialogue comprised of 47 states: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo*, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
