SALW Control Roadmap 2030
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Support for SEESAC Disarmament and Arms Control Activities in South East Europe (SEESAC)

Duration

2024-2027

Beneficiary/ies

Ministries of Interior, Police Services, Ministries of Economy, Customs Administrations, Prosecution Offices, and other relevant institutions in South East Europe. Direct project beneficiaries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia.

Funding Amount

EUR 3,999,920

Funding gaps (if any)

N/A

Objective/s

The project is contributing to:

  • Further development of a legislative and regulatory framework on SALW, firearms, and explosives, and its harmonisation with the EU framework and standardisation in South-East Europe;
  • Capacity building of customs authorities, border police and criminal police services of the Western Balkans to counter illicit trafficking and possession of firearms;
  • Continuation of evidence-based policy-making on SALW control, addressing the needs of both men and women;
  • Strengthened regional cooperation, knowledge exchange and information-sharing on SALW control through continued regional meetings of SALW Commissions and SEEFEN;
  • Comprehensive support for capacity building of border police, criminal police services, and customs authorities of the Western Balkans to prevent and disrupt illicit trafficking and possession of firearms, through training, Standard Operating Procedures and provision of equipment;
  • Further enhancement of capacities for Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM).

Contributing to the Roadmap goal/s

Goal 1 - By 2023, ensure that arms control legislation is in place, fully harmonized with the EU regulatory framework and other related international obligations and standardized across the region.
Goal 2 - By 2024, ensure that arms control policies and practices in the Western Balkans are evidence based and intelligence led.
Goal 3 - By 2024, significantly reduce illicit flows of firearms, ammunition and explosives (FAE) into, within and beyond the Western Balkans. 
Goal 4 - By 2024, significantly reduce the supply, demand and misuse of firearms through increased awareness, education, outreach and advocacy.
Goal 5 - By 2024, substantially decrease the estimated number of firearms in illicit possession in the Western Balkans.
Goal 6 - Systematically decrease the surplus and destroy seized small arms and light weapons and ammunition.
Goal 7 - Significantly decrease the risk of proliferation and diversion of firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Contributing to the Roadmap overall targets

Goal 1:

  • Fully harmonize arms control legislation with EU legal framework and in line with international agreements/standards.

Goal 2:

  • Standardize and institutionalize data collection on firearms, by gender and age, regarding legal and illegal SALW/firearms interdictions, armed violence incidents, ballistic evidence, and other firearms related data resulting in periodic regional FAE.
  • Strengthen tasking, coordination and monitoring functions of the Firearms Focal Points, to ensure effective policies on Prevention, Mitigation, Reaction, and Suppression of firearms misuse, trafficking and uncontrolled proliferation.
  • Increase national analytical capacities and institutionalize firearms data analysis.

Goal 3:

  • Ensure full implementation and monitoring of legal, policy and procedural framework on trafficking of FAE.
  • Prevent trafficking (smuggling, illicit trade and transit) of FAE through improved processes, equipment and training of targeted law enforcement units.
  • Substantially strengthen control, monitoring and prevention of diversion of legal trade through improved capacities, procedures and transparency.
  • Strengthen existing bilateral, regional and international mechanisms and encouraging new forms of good practice to counter trafficking of firearms.

Goal 4:

  • Increase awareness and reduce the misuses of firearms in violence against women, domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence.

Goal 5:

  • Substantially increase number of seized firearms, ammunition and explosives.

Goal 6:

  • Systematically destroy all surplus stockpile FAE in an environmentally benign manner.
  • Systematically and publicly destroy all seized FAE.

Goal 7:

  • Ensure safe and secure SALW/firearms and ammunition storage facilities designated based on identified needs and in accordance with international standards.

Key activities implemented up to date

N/A

Main challenges encountered

N/A