Regional Seminar on Marking and Tracing of Firearms
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Regional seminar on Marking and Tracing of Firearms took place on 14-15 September 2010 in Belgrade, Serbia.
The seminar was funded by the European Union (EU) as an activity conducted under the EU COUNCIL DECISION 2010/179/CFSP, dated 11 March 2010, expressing support of SEESAC arms control activities in the Western Balkans, in the framework of the EU Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition. The final report including presentations, discussions and recommendations can be downloaded here.
Most SEE countries have in their legislation references to marking and tracing of weapons. All have acceded to the relevant international instruments in that area: the UN Firearms Protocol, the International Tracing Instrument and the UN Programme of Action on SALW. Many have also undertaken the harmonization of their legislation with the Council Directive 91/477/EEC on the control of the acquisition and possession of weapons. The current challenge for the South East Europe (SEE) countries is the implementation of their legal and political commitments in the area of marking and tracing of firearms. The main difficulties are in the field of marking of imported weapons, the ballistic tracing, the development of effective weapons registration and record-keeping systems, and the participation in information exchange mechanisms.
The goal of the seminar was to review the process of:
i) The adherence to international instruments;
ii) The adoption of national legislation on marking and tracing in the countries of the SEE; and
iii) The implementation of the national legislation.
A specific objective was to review the implementation of the requirement for marking of imported weapons under the UN Firearms Protocol. The outcome of the seminar was the identification of support mechanisms and synergies in the following areas:
i) Development and implementation of policy and legislation;
ii) Membership in the Permanent International Commission for Firearms;
iii) Identification of technical support for marking and tracing of firearms;
iv) Identification of capacity building needs; and
v) Identification of synergies between the national institutions.
The following main issues were identified during group discussions:
- There is a need for assistance in the development of subsidiary legislation;
- Regional synergies need to be taken advantage of;
- There is concrete need for assistance when it comes to identifying the appropriate equipment and procedures for marking of weapons as well as adequate assistance and training in operating marking machines;
- The development of the centralized registers (databases) of weapons is a necessity in order to improve tracing.
- Countries still need assistance in the destruction of collected and seized weapons and ammunitions;
- There is interest and a clear need for a regional conference on the requirements for joining the Permanent International Commission for Weapons;
- SEESAC was identified as the main partner in the process of regional cooperation on marking and tracing of weapons.
