In the process of Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, the Multifunctional Centre for Schengen Training (CMPS) has trained thousands of staff with responsibilities in border control, visa policy, migration, asylum and police cooperation.
According to the CMPS, the institution is a specialised non-university education and training structure, whose role is to facilitate the achievement of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MAI), being the main provider of professional training in the Schengen area through specialist programmes.
“The Centre develops training programmes in accordance with the requests of the beneficiary institutions and the training needs of the personnel with Schengen tasks. In order to meet the training needs, the CMPS is represented in the Operational Committee, a consultative body under the coordination of the MAI, whose tasks are to analyse and solve operational problems. According to the Integrated Training Concept for staff/structures involved in the process of Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, the Centre ensures the training of staff with responsibilities in: the operation of Schengen-relevant IT systems for external border control, counterfeit detection and prevention of illegal migration; border control, visa policy, migration, asylum, police cooperation, judicial cooperation, the fight against drugs, firearms and ammunition, the Schengen IT system, data protection, knowledge of elements of the international situation relevant to operational work in the Schengen area, knowledge of languages of international circulation necessary for cooperation in the Schengen area; knowledge of working/exploitation procedures in data communication networks in the Schengen area; personal data protection,” the CMPS informed AGERPRES.
With a view to preparing Romania for accession to the Schengen area, CMPS has trained over 44,000 employees from the Ministry of Interior or other structures with responsibilities in this area.
“In support of these areas of cooperation at the level of the free movement zone, the Centre carries out, among others, the following training programmes: general Schengen training for the staff of institutions with tasks in the areas of reference, European policies and strategies in the area of border control, visas, immigration and asylum, SIS Recast and specific working procedures of the system, protection of personal data, English and French language-Schengen terminology, management of immigration flows, execution of the European Arrest Warrant, European document-forgeries in documents, technical forensic examination of documents, removal of foreigners from the territory of Romania. The number of persons qualified through all the training sessions organised since its establishment and until now is 44622, of whom 37393 for the structures within the Ministry of Interior and 7229 for the other beneficiaries with duties in the Schengen area (ANAF- tax agency, SRI-Romanian Intelligence Service, Romanian Customs Authority, etc.),” informs CMPS.