Regional cooperation in the Western Balkans essential to combat organised crime

The annual EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs was held for the first time in the Western Balkans. The Finnish Presidency aimed to raise public awareness of justice and home affairs issues in the region by arranging the meeting in Albania. Another aim was to enhance cooperation in justice and home affairs between the EU and the Western Balkan countries.

The Balkan region is one of the key trafficking routes for heroin entering Europe from Asia. In addition to drug-related crime, the EU is concerned about illegal immigration, human trafficking and corruption. EU justice and home affairs are among the priorities of the Stabilisation and Association Process for the Western Balkans.

Building on the progress reports of the Commission, the meeting discussed under the chairmanship of Mr Rajamäki the Western Balkan countries' work in combating organised crime, corruption and human trafficking, and border management in the Western Balkans.

Mr Rajamäki said that an appropriate framework and a solid legal basis must be created for mutual exchange of information and operational cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkan countries. Key partners are the European Law Enforcement Organisation, Europol, and the European Union's Judicial Cooperation Unit, Eurojust, and regional agencies in the Western Balkans, such as the SECI Center (Southeast European Cooperative Initiative). The SECI was established in April 1996 on the initiative and with the assistance of the USA. The Regional Center for Combating Trans-border Crime (SECI Center), which is located in Bukarest, Romania, was set up in 1999.

The EU wants to strengthen its cooperation with the SECI Center. The Presidency's aim is for the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 4 and 5 December 2006 to adopt EU objectives for cooperation with the SECI Center.

According to Mr Rajamäki, meetings of liaison officers seconded by EU member states to the Western Balkans should be held on a regular basis to strengthen operational cooperation. Senior law enforcement authorities from various sectors in the region should be invited to these meetings.

The Commission progress reports draw attention to the situation concerning the fight against human trafficking in the Western Balkan countries. According to Mr Rajamäki, the importance of combating human trafficking cannot be overemphasised. Human trafficking attracts criminal organisations because it is a very lucrative business. According to an estimate of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking generates an annual profit of about 7-10 billion dollars. These profits are further invested in other forms of organised crime, such as trafficking in arms or drugs.

Human trafficking has been regarded as a low-risk crime. Recently, EU member states have, however, begun to change their positions asthey have paid more attention to human trafficking. Measures taken by EU member states alone are not enough; on the contrary, human trafficking must be combated together throughout Europe and at all levels.

At the meeting, Mr Rajamäki underlined the importance of border management both from the perspective of an individual country and the internal security of the European Union as a whole. It is possible to combat terrorism, illegal immigration and organised crime through effective border control. In the last few years, the EU has worked hard to develop an integrated border management system, and the work will continue. The EU seeks to ensure that its neighbouring countries commit themselves to both bilateral and multilateral cooperation in border management issues.

The Presidency statement on the results of the EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs can be found at www.eu2006.fi

For further information, please contact Kari Salmi, State Secretary, tel. +358 9 160 42802;Erkki Hämäläinen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 40 580 8971 and Kalle Kekomäki, Counsellor, tel. +358 9 160 42777