Improving operational cooperation - 13th South East Europe Firearms Experts Network (SEEFEN)

On 17-18 November, SEESAC organized the 13th meeting of South East Europe Firearms Experts Network with more than 50 participants from Belgrade, Chisinau, Minsk, Podgorica, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje and  Tirana as well as Regional Cooperation Council, DG HOME, EUROPOL, EMPACT, GIZ, Ministry of Interior of Republic of France, French Embassy in Belgrade, German Federal Foreign Office, INTERPOL, UNODC, FRONTEX and OSCE. During the two-day meeting, prosecutors, investigators, border and customs officials as well as ballistic experts shared local experiences and exchanged information about new modalities of firearms trafficking, but also learned more about different models and possibilities of international cooperation and support available. Among the main topics discussed were the organization of the South East Europe Joint Action Day, advantages of the usage of SIENA, possibilities of bilateral and regional cooperation in the framework of Countering Serious Crime in the Western Balkans - IPA 2019 project, control of the parcel deliveries and available software for the exchange among ballistic laboratories.

The 13th SEEFEN meeting was organized in the context of the implementation of EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111 of 9 December 2019, in support of SEESAC’s disarmament and arms control activities in South East Europe reducing the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition and is contributing to strengthening cooperation and capacities for countering illegal arms possession and trafficking.