Eleventh Round of Roadmap Local Coordination Meetings in the Western Balkans
In May and June 2024, Local Coordination Meetings were organized by the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Commissions in Tirana, Pristina, Podgorica, Belgrade, Sarajevo, and Skopje. These meetings were held in the framework of the implementation of the Roadmap on a sustainable solution to arms control in the Western Balkans (Roadmap).
During this 11th round of meetings, the SALW Commissions provided updates on progress, challenges, and needs in line with the Roadmap’s Goals. International organizations and donors also shared their current and planned contributions to combating the proliferation and illicit trafficking of SALW within the framework of the Roadmap.
The meetings highlighted key achievements and identified areas needing further progress, including the harmonization of the legal framework with the EU Acquis and compliance with the UN Firearms Protocol, the operationalization of Firearms Focal Points, and the strengthening of capacities for detecting firearms trafficking.
Furthermore, discussions were held on the second draft of the revised Roadmap text for implementation from 2025 to 2030.
High-level representatives from EU Delegations and German and French embassies in each jurisdiction attended and spoke at the opening sessions of these meetings.
Following these Local Coordination Meetings, SALW Commission representatives will gather on July 9-10, 2024, for the 11th Regional Coordination Meeting.
The organization of these meetings is supported with funding from the European Union through its Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/2321 in support of SEESAC for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans.