Centre for European Perspective's project proposal was selected to receive financial support from the EU Strategy for the Danube Region – START Fund, for the project Illicit Trafficking of Firearms in the Danube Region. Project will be implemented with three partners, namely with the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (Serbia), Centre for Security Studies (Bosnia and Hercegovina) and Centre for Monitoring and Research CeMI (Montenegro). Its main objective is to improve the fight against illicit trafficking of firearms in the Danube Region through strengthened cooperation between practitioners (law enforcement and judicial authorities) and researchers.
Organized crime is a major global and regional security risk. Illicit arms' trafficking is one of key forms of crime, defined in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. After the armed conflict in the Western Balkans (WB) in the 90ies, large quantities of weapons, particularly military arms, remained on stock and are ending in the black market.
In the recent terrorist attacks in France, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the source for the bullets used in the first attack on satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Furthermore, arms experts all agree that the weapons used in Paris were almost certainly from the Balkans. EU believes that there are two main trafficking routes for weapons from the Balkans into France: one in the south, through Italy, and another through Slovenia, Austria and into eastern France.
In the light of recent events, it is obvious that this topic is of key importance especially for the countries with the Schengen Border but also EU as a whole. Illicit arms are not used solely by organized criminal groups in conflicts between criminal gangs, but also for armed robberies and other violent acts on a daily basis. Pressing issue is also the purchasing of and use of these arms by terrorists groups and related extremist ideologies.
Taking these risks into consideration the OSCE and the EU have reinforced their efforts to systematically limit the smuggling of arms originating from the Western Balkans. More effort should be put on early stages in criminal intelligence and support countries of the WB in the field of stockpile management, surplus and destruction of the arms.
The mentioned project Illicit Trafficking of Firearms in the Danube Region will be implemented in 2015. It will encompass a needs assessment analysis, a two day seminar and produce a list of conclusions. A two day seminar will focus on the skills and tasks required for successful performance of work by criminal police and prosecutors in the field of illicit trafficking in firearms, theft of weapons and illegal accumulation of firearms with the aim of exchanging know-how, best practice and information between countries upstream and downstream the Danube River. Seminar will be practically orientated and will aim at developing concepts of coherent approach, better cooperation and boosting trust in the fight against stockpiling and trafficking of illicit firearms with special emphasis on early intelligence work.
