The Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) hosted a visit of a delegation from the Dutch Embassy in Romania, represented by Maaike Keizer, Deputy Head of Mission, Hans Maasdam, Police attaché at Dutch Embassy in Romania, and Jorn Van Rij, senior researcher at National Police.
The bilateral meeting focused on the strategies to combat human trafficking in Moldova and the role of Netherlands in supporting their implementation, as well as on the draft action plan for enhancing cooperation in home affairs between Moldova and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
According to the MIA representatives, providing quality services to citizens is a priority for the institution, which by introducing the concept of European security in its daily work is becoming a provider of regional security. Thus, the Ministry of Internal Affairs expressed interest in stepping up cooperation with the Dutch authorities through exchanges of good practices in fighting illegal migration and cross-border crime, terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering. Particular emphasis is placed on developing smart solutions to improve police work and strengthen regional and international security by exchanging data through the EU Security Hub.
In this context, the Ministry representatives mentioned about the approval of the 2024 – 2028 National Programme for preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. Some of the priorities of the Programme include:
– capacity building for the home affairs staff for fighting trafficking in human beings;
– identification and prevention of criminal activities related to trafficking in human beings in the online space;
– training for police officers in data collection, monitoring and analysis related to trafficking in human beings;
– creation of an intervention mechanism for profiling in cases of repatriation of Moldovan nationals from EU countries;
– needs assessment and creation of specialized services for investigation of cases of sexual trafficking and exploitation with the use of information technologies;
Additionally, the participants highlighted the role of the Netherlands in the process of approximation to the EU acquis in the field of home affairs and strengthening cooperation with the European Union.
Other topics raised during the meeting included the possibility of conducting joint exercises between the specialized entities of the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs and their Dutch counterparts, with the aim of improving the professional skills to fight against trafficking in human beings and sexual exploitation.
