EU interior ministers discuss internal security issues

In the framework of the Hungarian EU Presidency, European Union interior ministers met in Gödöllõ near Budapest on Thursday to discuss current trends in internal security and ways to enhance practical cooperation in the fight against organised crime.

As Hungarian Interior Minister Sándor Pintér, who headed the third informal meeting of EU ministers in Gödöllõ, pointed out a day before, the fight against organised crime was among the priorities of Hungary's EU presidency.

The global crisis in recent years has left its mark not only on the economy but has also resulted in new criminal activities to which the authorities must find the proper response.

The EU last reviewed its strategy for fighting organised crime in 2000, so a new review is timely after more than ten years, Pintér said.

Additional issues to be discussed at the ministerial meeting are funding for home affairs after 2014 and integrated border management. The Hungarian presidency is dedicated to promoting the use of modern technologies. This is especially important for the country because some of its neighbours, Ukraine and Serbia, are not yet members of the EU, Pinter said.