SEESAC highlights progress made at the EU-WB Ministerial Forum

SEESAC took part in the annual European Union (EU) - Western Balkan (WB) Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs (JHA), held in Sarajevo on 7 and 8 December 2015, presenting activities undertaken as part of the implementation of the European Union Strategy on small arms and light weapons (SALW) and its Action Plan, as well as the Action Plan on the illicit trafficking in firearms inside and outside the EU.  
 

Underlining that important progress on all five measures of the EU-WB Action Plan has been made, SEESAC’s Coordinator, Dr. Ivan Zveržhanovski spoke before the Forum, highlighting SEESAC’s main actions and results.
 

The South East Europe Firearms Expert Network (SEEFEN), has begun to yield tangible results in the area of improving operational cooperation at the regional level and with the EU Member states as well as EUROPOL, on the trafficking of firearms and ammunition. SEESAC facilitated the establishment of SEEFEN and functions as its Secretariat. Since 2014, this regional network of senior police officers, customs investigators, and prosecutors has been working together and in close cooperation with their European Union counterparts in contributing to the continent’s ability to successfully investigate and prevent trafficking of firearms and gun-enabled crime.
 

SEESAC also highlighted other regional processes that enhance information sharing, knowledge exchange, standardization, and improve the region’s ability to counter illicit trafficking in a holistic way. The Regional Meetings of SALW Commissions focus on the coordination and standardization of policies, while the Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction, RASR, ensures coordination in reducing stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. At the operational level, SEEFEN, as well as the Regional Information Exchange Process (RIEP) on Arms Transfers ensure coordination between national authorities in their work on controlling arms transfers and firearms trafficking.
 

Finally, SEESAC informed the Forum that it is taking the necessary steps in order to prepare the ground for the establishment of the South East European Ballistics Information Network, or SEEBIN, which should significantly increase the region’s ability to trace firearms and reduce their proliferation. SEEBIN is expected to extend the use of ballistics comparison technology in the region, create specific ballistic information centers throughout South East Europe that will systematically track illegal firearms in use across the region, while ensuring the facilitation of data collection and analysis. This information will enhance law enforcement activity and facilitate bilateral and multilateral cooperation, as well as supporting legislative development and multi-agency support.