RIGA - After inspecting Riga Port last week the Schengen assessment commission commended the progress of Latvia's border guards and reported that the facility had seen "positive developments," signaling Latvia's slightly improved chances of signing the Schengen Treaty by next year. On July 7, the commission of 11 experts examined the performance of Latvia's security and customs services.
After the evaluation, inspector Henrik Warnhjelm told reporters that he was "pleasantly surprised by the progress among Latvian border guards."
The report comes after public statements of concern by ranking officials, particularly President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, that Latvia was not doing enough to meet the grade for the Schengen Treaty, which, when signed, will allow Latvians to travel around Europe without visas. The president, in fact, scolded former Interior Minister Eriks Jebabsons for failing to carry out the necessary improvements in border safety.
Schengen inspectors examined Riga Port's new diving equipment, weapons and the National Border Guard's armored vests. "The gear helps us track down drug traffickers and evaluate technical problems," said Border Deputy Chief Konstantins Sarigins.
The new equipment was paid for by the Schengen facility without any additional funds from the national budget, said Gatis Brokans, an inspector for the Sea-going Vessels Authority.
Results of the Schengen assessment are scheduled for release this September. If overall assessment is positive, the Schengen Treaty could be signed in January next year, allowing Latvia to become a Schengen member state by 2008.
Although there was room for improvement in every country inspected by the commission, Warnhjelm said, in general, Latvian security services had worked hard to meet the appropriate criteria.
"We will assess the infrastructure on the whole, as this is the only way we can ascertain whether a country is prepared for joining the list of Schengen member states," he said.
"In general, the assessment commission was friendly and inquired about vital matters," Sarigins added. "Not only do they expect consultations, but they want to see us in action."
Before Riga, the Schengen commission inspected Estonia's border guards, and there they reported less satisfactory results. According to the news agency LETA, Estonia's lack of border guards 's the country is currently struggling with a shortage of state employees 's could prove an obstacle to Schengen zone membership.
Warenhjelm, however, declined from comparing Estonia's situation with other applicant states.
The commission is currently investigating Lithuania's immigration and border guard situation.
The Schengen treaty is an open border policy between European countries that allows for a common visa, fewer passport controls and easier flow of transport and freight. Its name is borrowed from the town in Luxembourg in which the agreement was first signed in 1985.
On Dec. 19, 2004, the Baltic Assembly adopted a Resolution on Cooperation Among the Baltic States for Implementing the Schengen Plan, calling for all three Baltic governments to introduce amendments necessary to the intergovernmental agreements on border-crossing points. The resolution also urges the Baltic states to sign bilateral cooperation agreements that would stipulate the development of police cooperation, cross-border surveillance and "hot pursuit."
The Baltic states remain a signatory to the treaty, but are not yet full participants.
