OSCE and Kosovo authorities discuss next steps for setting up an Advance Passenger Information system

A three-day consultation between the OSCE and Kosovo authorities on how to set up an Advance Passenger Information (API) system to detect and thwart the movement of foreign terrorist fighters was organized from 28 to 30 January.

Twenty-five representatives from relevant agencies with responsibility for passenger processing, including members of the Police and Customs Administration, the Civil Aviation Authority, the Agency for Personal Data Protection, as well as legal and IT experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs participated in the consultation.

Organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, this was the third in a series of consultation meetings on this topic held across the OSCE area.

The main purpose of the consultation was to provide legal and technical support for the smooth implementation of the recommendations included in the roadmap for setting up an API system that was drafted during a workshop in Prishtinë/Priština from 20 to 22 February 2018.

An independent consultant analysed the existing laws on aviation security and identified ways for improving them to grant government officials the legal authority to collect, process and store passenger data in a way that the rights to privacy and data protection are guaranteed. Furthermore, participants reviewed and updated the roadmap based on the conclusions of the discussions and agreed on the next steps for implementing an API system.

The first day of meetings was attended by Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and Ambassador Jan Braathu, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. In his speech, Haradinaj highlighted the added value of API systems to combat global threats like terrorism and organized crime, and stressed the importance of close co-operation among law enforcement agencies to ensure its effectiveness.

API systems are electronic communications systems through which biographic data from a traveller’s passport and flight details are collected by airlines and transmitted to border control agencies before a flight’s departure or arrival.

The OSCE will continue working with local authorities across the OSCE area to develop API implementation plans as part of the Organization’s activities to enhance border security. The next API consultations will take place in Tashkent from 4 to 6 February and Chisinau from 18 to 20 March.