Regional information exchange
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Most of the countries in the South Eastern Europe region have been undergoing a similar process of integrating EU laws and policies on Small Arms and Light Weapons. In order to help make this transition an easier one, and to enable more effective arms export control on a regional level, since 2009 SEESAC has provided a platform for persons responsible for the development and execution of arms control policies in their respective countries, to meet each other and regularly exchange relevant experiences.
The first meeting of the regional information exchange process on arms export controls took place on 12 November 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia, with the participation of delegations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. Since then six meetings have taken place, the last one in Belgrade held on November 9-10th, 2011. Mor information about the past meetings you can find at:
Sixt Meeting: 11 November 2011, Belgrade
Fifth Meeting: 23 June 2011, Becici
Fourth Meeting: 17 March 2011, Zagreb
Third Meeting: 23-4 November, 2010, Belgrade
Second Meeting: 23 March, 2010, Skoplje
First Meeting: 12 November, 2009, Belgrade
All of the founding countries continue to actively participate and since have occasionally been joined by their colleagues from the EU Council Working Group for Conventional Arms Exports (COARM). In fact, high level of transparency within the Regional Information Exchange group has prompted EU officials to seek out its advice – a sure sign of great success. Among the very concrete and helpful results of the group’s work are the development of a joint Regional Report on Arms Exports and a regional Brokering Database.
