SEEFEN 10

19 - 21 November 2018, Budva, Montenegro

Held between19 - 21 November 2018, Budva, Montenegro, the Tenth Regional Meeting of the South East Europe Firearms Expert Network (SEEFEN 10), gathered 53 participants from prosecutors, customs officers, forensic specialists, to police representatives, including expert contributors guests from INTERPOL, EMPACT, the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS), European Commission or the Guardia Civil of Spain. Taking place twice a year since 2014, SEEFEN’s meetings support the fight against serious, organized, and cross-border firearms related crime through enhanced regional cooperation at the technical level.

SEEFEN is the only regional platform in South East Europe the enables dialogue amongst all experts involved in the gun-enabled crime chain from the bullet found at a crime scene to the criminal behind bars, from the region to the rest of Europe. The meeting was opened by Mr Safet Korać, Director of Directorate for Strategic Development, Ministry of Internal  Affairs of Montenegro, Mr Amer Kapetanović, Head of Political Department, Regional Cooperation Council, Mr Ivor Shutolo, Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro.

In the one of a kind typical SEEFEN type of information-exchange merging international expertise with knowledge from experts working on-the-ground in South East Europe, this edition of SEEFEN enabled participants to an open space for participants to discuss the latest development and challenges in their field of work and present their needs in terms of training and equipment for improved detection, investigation and prosecution. Also, key goals and indicators of the Roadmap were presented during the meeting. The benefits of the Firearms Focal Points (FFPs) were highlighted several times during the meeting, with participants expressing their interest and commitment to the establishment of the FFPs in their jurisdictions.

About SEEFEN: 

SEEFEN was created to facilitate the exchange of information and the transfer of knowledge within the region and between the region and the EU while promoting practical cooperation in fighting the illegal possession and illicit transfer of firearms. The members of the Network are members of the Police services, Customs Administrations, Public Prosecutors’ Offices and forensic experts from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Moldova, Kosovo*, Serbia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. SEEFEN meetings take place with the support of the EU, in the framework of Council Decision 2016/2356/CFSP in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe.

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).