From February 22, 2024, officials of the State Border Guard of Latvia operating Mobile Surveillance System provide support to Serbian law enforcement authorities in border surveillance activities at the Serbian - Hungarian EU external border within the framework of the Joint operation "Serbia 2024" of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX).
The objective of the joint operation is to implement coordinated operational activities at the land border of the Republic of Serbia with Bulgaria and Hungary, in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, in order to control illegal immigration flows, to tackle cross-border crime and to enhance European cooperation.
This is the first time when the State Border Guard deploys its technical equipment and experts in a third country. In previous years, the State Border Guard, within the framework of cooperation with FRONTEX, provided support to the law enforcement authorities of the Western Balkans countries with only qualified border control experts, deploying them in Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia.
The operational activities of FRONTEX and the Republic of Latvia (the State Border Guard) in Serbia are based on Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 November 2019 on the European Border and Coast Guard and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1052/2013 and (EU) 2016/1624, the Status Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Serbia on the activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the Republic of Serbia and the Operational plan of the Joint operation "Serbia 2024".