Mykolas Romeris University (MRU) has welcomed the second cohort of students to the European Joint Master’s Programme in Strategic Border Management (EJMSBM). The programme is implemented in cooperation with Frontex – the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and is designed to educate highly qualified border management leaders from the European Union (EU) and Schengen Associated Countries.
Border Security as a Shared European Priority
In the context of a complex geopolitical environment, with the European Union facing hybrid threats, military tensions, migration processes, and a rapidly changing security landscape, effective border management has become inseparable from strategic planning, leadership, and close international cooperation. In this context, the training of high-level professionals capable of making decisions at the international level is of particular importance.
Responding to these challenges, the joint master’s programme creates the conditions to strengthen the European Union’s border protection capacity by developing leaders who are able to respond to complex security situations in a coordinated, systematic, and strategic manner.
“This master’s programme is attended by officers who, after obtaining a master’s degree, go on to hold strategic-level positions in their respective countries. During the studies, students develop a shared understanding of security challenges related to the specific characteristics of the European Union’s eastern region. This enables countries that do not directly face the challenges posed by Russia’s neighbourhood to better understand them and, in the long term, strengthens international partnerships and the network of allies,” – says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mantas Bileišis, Dean of the MRU Public Security Academy.
About the Programme
EJMSBM is a European Union–supported joint master’s programme implemented through the Frontex Agency, aimed at fostering a common strategic approach to EU border and coast guard management. The programme combines theoretical foundations, practical training, and international mobility of students and lecturers. It is open to mid-level and senior officers with at least three years of professional experience in national border management services.
The programme is delivered by an international consortium comprising Mykolas Romeris University, the Netherlands Defence Academy, the University of Salamanca, the Rezekne Academy of Technologies, and the Estonian Academy of Security Sciences.
Opening Ceremony and Initial Programme Activities
On 26 January, an official opening ceremony of the international joint programme will take place at MRU (Didlaukio St. 55, Room 102). The event will bring together 33 border management officers from EU and Schengen Associated Countries, members of the academic community, and programme organisers.
Welcome addresses will be delivered by Marius Vaščega, Head of the European Commission's Representation in Vilnius; Gintaras Aliksandravičius, Vice-Minister of the Interior; and Saulius Nekraševičius, Deputy Commander of the State Border Guard Service. Following the official opening, Dr. Mantas Bileišis, Dean of the MRU Public Security Academy, will present the programme’s objectives and structure.
Subsequently, programme participants will take part in lectures, group workshops, and discussions focused on the analysis of real-life border management cases, the exchange of professional experience, and the identification of key challenges that will serve as a foundation for further practical work throughout the programme. This learning format promotes international cooperation, the exchange of best practices, and the development of a shared approach to the evolving challenges of European border management.