Support for SEESAC for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans (SEESAC)

Duration

17/12/2018 – 17/01/2023

Beneficiary/ies

ROADMAP beneficiaries, Ukraine, and Moldova institutions

Donor/s

European Union - EU Council Decision 2018/1788

Funding Amount

EUR 4,002,587

Funding gaps (if any)

N/A

Objective/s

• Coordination and the monitoring of the implementation of the Roadmap for a sustainable solution to the illegal possession, misuse and trafficking of SALW/firearms and their ammunition in the Western Balkans.
• Support to the authorities of the Western Balkans in fully harmonizing their arms-control legislation with the Union regulatory framework and other related international obligations and standards across the region.
• Countering illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine through capacity assessments and technical assistance to the law-enforcement and border-police authorities.

Contributing to the Roadmap goal/s

Contributing to the Roadmap overall targets

Goal 1:

• Ensure full legal and regulatory framework is in place with regards to FAE producers.
• 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.

Key activities implemented up to date

I Coordination and Monitoring of the Roadmap implementation

Coordination:

Eight Regional Roadmap Coordination Meetings organized: on 28 May 2019 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 20-21 November 2019 in Tirana, Albania, while the Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Regional Roadmap Coordination Meetings were organized online, due do the COVID 19 pandemic. Seventh Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting was held on 5-6 July 2022 in Skopje, North Macedonia and Eighth Regional Roadmap Coordination Meeting was held on 13-14 December 2022 in Budva, Montenegro.

Eight rounds of local coordination meetings on the implementation of the Roadmap have been supported in 6 Western Balkans jurisdictions. In total, 45 local Roadmap coordination meetings organized by SALW Commissions in Western Balkans have been supported.

Monitoring:

Eight regional reports based on KPIs and Roadmap Goals have been prepared and distributed.

An online platform to ensure proper outreach and visibility of the Roadmap has been developed and updated regularly on SEESAC’s online information exchange platform.

A mid-term review (MTR) of the Roadmap implementation has been conducted with the aim to make a review of the progress and identify gaps in the first three years of Roadmap implementation and provide recommendations for the way ahead.

A knowledge product exploring the threats posed by hand grenades produced in the Western Balkans or originating from the WBs has been developed.

II Technical support to SALW Commissions

Media and outreach coaching programmes were completed by the Head of the SALW Coordination Board of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Head of SALW Commission in Montenegro, senior-level member of the SALW Coordination Board of BiH, and two senior-level members of the SALW Commission of North Macedonia, strengthening their capacities for outreach, communication and advocacy.

Upon request from several SALW commissions, IT equipment for North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been procured, further facilitating data recording and analysis.

III Support to authorities in the Western Balkans in fully harmonizing their arms-control legislation with EU’s regulatory framework and other related international obligation

In 2019, the authorities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia were supported with development of gap analyses of legal frameworks on control of SALW, ammunition and explosives. 

Regional workshops on arms control harmonization with EU Acquis have been organized in on 17-18 September 2019, on 15 December 2020 and online on 28 September 2021 for the representatives of Western Balkan jurisdictions, Moldova and Ukraine to discuss major challenges and their way ahead in the harmonization of their respective legislative frameworks with the EU acquis. The following Regional workshop on the harmonization of legislation in the field of SALW control with the EU Acquis was held in person on 17-18 May 2022 in Budva, Montenegro.

In 2019, two workshops on harmonization of the SALW control legal framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina were organized in Sarajevo, on 16-17 April 2019 and on 24-25 June 2019.

Furthermore, in 2021, advisory support on the harmonization of the explosives control legal framework in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a focus on the draft Law on civil use of explosives was provided, while in 2022, advisory support was provided on the development of the Law on Weapons and associated secondary legislation.

On 18 and 19 October 2022, SEESAC supported the SALW Coordination Board of BiH in the organization of a workshop in order to further harmonize the laws of weapons in BiH. The meeting gathered relevant actors from across BiH and focused specifically on the harmonization of the Law on Weapons.

Support to Kosovo authorities was provided through the organization of the Workshop on drafting the Law on Explosives for Civil Use that was held on 13-14 September 2022.

Additionally, a workshop on the legal harmonization of the Law on Weapons with relevant parts of EU Acquis was organized in Podgorica, Montenegro, on 2-3 December 2019.

Advisory support was provided to Serbia on the new draft Law on Weapons, comparing its provisions with the EU regulatory framework in the field of SALW control and the best practices implemented in the EU. A legal harmonization workshop resulting in the first draft of the new Law on weapons, harmonized with relevant EU regulatory framework, was conducted in Belgrade, on 5-6 September 2019 and another meeting was organized on 12-13 March 2020.

In 2020, support in the development of gap analysis of legal frameworks on control of SALW, ammunition and explosives was provided to North Macedonia. Additionally, advisory support was provided on the harmonization of the explosives control legal framework on the draft Law on civil use of explosives including pyrotechnic materials. On 9 July 2021, a Legal Harmonization Advisory Meeting in North Macedonia was held with the representatives of the MoI, other relevant government authorities, and legal entities dealing with legal weapons, to discuss changes needed to the Law on Weapons in order to harmonize it with the EU Acquis.

Further in 2022, a gap analysis reviewing and assessing the harmonization level of the existing legislation pertaining to explosives precursors in North Macedonia was completed. Given the shared interest across the region in the issue of explosives precursors and their legal harmonization, the report was presented at a regional harmonization workshop organized on 17-18 May 2022. In 2022, work on the Law on Explosives for Civil Use was continued through advisory support. A Workshop on the Harmonization of the Legal Framework on Control of Explosives with the EU Acquis was organized on 12-16 September 2022 with a dedicated working group in Struga providing them with needed expert support.

Gap analysis of the Law on weapons was also conducted in Kosovo. The gap analysis was prepared based on a detailed methodology, comparing the Law with the latest EU Directive. A three-day workshop dedicated to the development of the new Law on weapons was held in Pristina on 25, 31 March and 1 April 2022. During the workshop representatives of the Department of Public Safety and SEESAC experts worked together on the development of the Concept Document on the Law of weapons and discussed in detail the draft of the secondary legislation on weapons production. Furthermore, advisory support to Kosovo on the development of the Law on Weapons and associated secondary legislation and Law on Explosives for Civil Use was continued in 2022.

A two-day workshop on the development of secondary legislation, which accompanies the new Law on Weapons was organized on 8-9 February 2021 in Albania. During the workshop, participants discussed seven different draft governmental decisions, which constitute secondary legislation accompanying the new Law on Weapons and are directly connected to the changes in the law. A gap analysis reviewing and assessing the harmonization level of the bylaw on weapons deactivation in Albania with the corresponding EU regulatory framework was conducted and to this purpose, a table of concordance was developed.

A gender screening of legal and policy framework on small arms control was conducted in North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo. In each jurisdiction, findings and recommendations from gender screening were thoroughly discussed with the representatives of SALW commissions.

The Guidelines for the Gender Analysis of Legislation and Policies Relevant for Small Arms Control were launched in March 2022 and have been translated into Ukrainian, Spanish and French.

A Gender Coach Programme with the Deputy Minister of Interior of Albania, who is also Head of SALW Commission has been completed.

In October 2022, two-day training “Towards Gender Responsive SALW Control” was organized in Pristina for the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and SALW Commission. The training aimed to enhance their capacities in integrating the gender perspective into SALW control measures and policies.

IV Needs assessment of the Border and Criminal Police

A detailed needs assessment of capacities of border police services in the WBs to counter illicit trafficking of firearms was completed. Needs assessments of the criminal police capacities for countering illicit arms trafficking in six Western Balkans jurisdictions were completed by using the methodology developed by SEESAC and the team of experts who were deployed to conduct the assessment. The Assessment missions resulted in detailed Needs Assessment Reports on Capacities of the Criminal Police of all 6 WB jurisdictions. Assessment reports for Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, BiH and Kosovo were sent to relevant authorities for their comments and final endorsement. Recommendations of the reports will serve as a baseline for SEESAC further support to strengthening capacities of Criminal Police services through development of relevant SOPs, procurement of the equipment and relevant trainings.

Two Open-Source Intelligence Trainings (OSINT) have been organized on 28 September – 2 October 2020 and 8 to 12 March 2021 via an online platform. The aims of the training courses were respectively (1) to increase the capacity for online investigations on open sources by using the open source intelligence tools and (2) on collection and visualization of open source intelligence data using Analyst Notebook, for the representatives of Firearms Focal Points and Cyber Security Units.

Support was provided in the implementation of the Operational action plan for Cyber Patrol on 20-22 June 2022, in Western Balkan jurisdiction and an Online Meeting on the Findings of the Cyber Patrolling on the meeting that held on 23 June 2022.

A workshop focused on increased information sharing in the intelligence phase of investigations, was organized by SEESAC and EMPACT on 25 May 2021 for six Western Balkans jurisdictions. 

A pilot workshop on operational ballistic information exchange on converted weapons was conducted with representatives of Kosovo and North Macedonia on 17 December 2020. Following the official request on further support on this matter, SEESAC organized 2^nd pilot workshop on operational ballistic information-sharing exchange on converted weapons on 21 May 2021.

A Basic Analyst's training was held for the representatives of the Firearm Focal Point (FFP) in North Macedonia on 20-24 December 2021. On 11-15 April 2022 in Skopje, the second, advanced module of the Analyst's training was organized for the same representatives of the FFP in North Macedonia with a focus on further enhancement of the knowledge of the Analyst notebook software usage and its functionalities.

SEESAC supported the FFP in North Macedonia in solving technical issues related linking of various databases needed for the proper functioning of the FFP.

Support to the Kosovo Forensic Agency through the engagement of two technicians with a task to reduce the backlog of unregistered weapon legalization requests in the ballistic identification system continued and was brought to a close on 15 July 2022.

Following the official request of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia for the expert support to the FFP in reconfiguration of the existing database, an expert visit was conducted on 26-29 December 2021, that resulted in the report on the current state and ways forward on this matter that was shared with the FFP Serbia. Within SEESAC support to the MoI Serbia, and following the official request received towards further enhancement of the capacities of the FFP in Serbia, SEESAC procured and delivered 30 printers and 30 laptops on in February 2022 for the Regional Police Directorate, for the purpose of data collection and sharing of information with the FFP.

Support provided to the FFP Moldova trough the participation of the representatives from the Judicial and Expertise Forensic Centre of the General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, at the 9^th Swiss International Wound Ballistics Workshop at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University of Bern, on 1-3 December 2021 in Switzerland. This advance workshop is intended for ballistic experts to discusses the theoretical and practical aspects of wound ballistic.

On the request of the General police inspectorate (GPI) Moldova, an expert visit of their representatives to the Serbian Agency for testing, stamping, and marking of weapons, devices, and ammunition in Kragujevac was conducted on 5-6 April 2022. During the visit, representatives of the GPI Moldova were familiarized with the correct selection and adjustment of laser parameters for marking procedures, specifically for plastic, steel, and other metals.

Workshops on weapon serial number restoration for representatives of Firearms Focal Points and Ballistic Laboratories from the Western Balkans and Moldova were organized in Belgrade, for the representatives from BiH, MNE, and SRB on 7-8 April 2022 and in Tirana for representatives from KOS, ALB and MDA on 12-13 April 2022. These workshops were organized in cooperation with the National Ballistic Intelligence Service (NABIS) with the aim to train participants in mixing the chemicals into recipes that can be used for serial number restoration and to teach them how to implement relevant techniques for restoring weapon serial numbers.

On the official request of the Albanian State Police, an initial assessment of the infrastructure and capacities in place and potential gaps in terms of tools, equipment and training of the existing FFP unit was conducted on 16^th December 2021. This assessment aimed to assess further support needed in order to make the FFP ALB fully operational.

Support to the FFP in Albania to further enhance knowledge on gathering and disseminating fast time intelligence on the criminal use of firearms to the police service and partner agencies through an expert visit to the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) in Birmingham, United Kingdom took place on 26-29 April 2022. Support to the Firearms Focal Point in Albania continued in 2022. Building on the assessment of the ballistic laboratory, an expert team, including SEESAC’s Chief Technical Advisor and an expert from the NABIS, visited key Albanian authorities on 13-14 July 2022 to provide expert support. Additionally, within further support to the functioning of the FFP in Albania, per request made by the Albania State Police, a laptop computer was procured.

Support to the establishment of the FFP in Bosnia and Herzegovina provided through organization of meetings of the Working group formed with this purpose. This support continued in 2022.