On May 26 – 28, 2014, IOM Bratislava as the coordinator of the EMN National Contact Point in the Slovak Republic organised a thematic seminar in Oscadnica with representatives of the Bureau of the Border and Alien Police of the Police Force Presidium and Departments of the Alien Police from Slovak regions.
The aim of the meeting was to present the practical side of the implementation and interpretation of new or amended provisions of the Act on Residence of Aliens (with the effect from January 1, 2014), its relation to the EU legislation and policy-making in this area. Particularly, attendants of the seminar discussed legislative changes related to the administrative expulsion and detention of third country nationals. This thematic area was further supplemented by a presentation of the main findings of the EMN study Detention and Alternatives to Detention in the Context of the Migration Policy of the Slovak Republic. The seminar provided a platform for discussion among participants on practical experience, good practice as well as challenges which would serve as a basis for further creation of legislation or methodology in this area. Furthermore, the programme also included presentations of other EMN outputs from the year 2013 which were the most relevant for the employees of the Alien Police and which they could also apply in their professional activities (Annual Report on Migration and Asylum Policies in the Slovak Republic 2013 and Identification of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings in International Protection and Forced Return Procedures in the Slovak Republic).