The Regional Information Exchange Process Participants Met in Budva for the 11th Meeting
Most of the countries in the Western Balkans have been undergoing a process of integrating EU laws and policies on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). In order to help make this transition easier, as well as to enable more effective arms transfers control on a regional level, SEESAC has provided a platform for those responsible for the development and execution of arms transfers control policies in their respective countries to meet each other and regularly exchange relevant experiences.
The 11th meeting of the Regional Information Exchange Process (RIEP) took place on 19 June 2014 in Budva, Montenegro. Participating in the meeting were 18 delegates from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Present were also two experts who offered delegates their insight on the topics discussed.
Mr. Kadrija Kurpejović from the Ministry of Economy of Montenegro, and Dr. Ivan Zveržhanovski, SEESAC Coordinator, welcomed the participants, highlighting the importance of the continued regional information exchange in order to strengthen security in South East Europe and further develop arms transfers control policies in particular.
After an update by SEESAC on latest activities, participants turned to discussing the problems of synchronizing various international reporting requirements, the preparatory steps for the implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as other trends and challenges ahead.
The independent EU expert, Mr. Mirko Kukolj, presented potential joint solutions for achieving higher accuracy in reporting practices, while Mr. Mark Bromley of SIPRI presented his study on post-exports control measures relevant to the region.
The next RIEP meeting was tentatively scheduled to take place during the first week of November 2014 in Skopje.
About the Regional Information Exchange Process (RIEP)
RIEP was initiated in 2009 as a platform for persons responsible for the development and execution of arms transfers control policies in their respective countries, to meet each other and regularly exchange relevant experiences. RIEP meetings are regularly attended by representatives of six (6) countries, namely: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. In addition to facilitating the exchange of practices and policies among colleagues in the region, some of the important by-products of the process have been the establishment of a regional Brokering Database, as well as the jointly published Regional Reports on Arms Exports.
RIEP is a flagship activity of SEESAC's Arms Export Control project that has been generously supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway since 1 January 2010. In July 2013, the Norwegian MFA decided to continue its support through the Phase II of SEESAC’s Arms Export Control Programme in the Western Balkans project, which will last until June 2015.