Illicit Trafficking of Firearms in the Danube Region

Center za evropsko prihodnost (CEP) from Slovenia, together with Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (Serbia), Centre for Security Studies (BiH) and Centar za monitoring i istraživanje CeMI (Montenegro) are implementing the project “Illicit Trafficking of Firearms in the Danube Region”.

Organized crime is a major global and regional security risk. Illicit arms’ trafficking is one of the 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. This region remains an important warehousing and distribution region for illicit arms, which are then smuggled by organized crime networks into the EU.

This topic is of key importance especially for the countries with the Schengen Border but also for the EU in general. 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. One pressing issue is also the purchasing and the 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.

Main objective of this START project 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. Better cooperation will consequently result in increased levels of security in the WB, Danube region as well the EU.

In order to reach this goal, International networking among practitioners from criminal law enforcement and judicial authorities as well as researchers and Europol need to be improved. This project will enhance law enforcement activities and security in the Danube Region.

Geographic area:

The project focuses on countries from both sides of the Schengen Border in the Danube Region:

– Austria, Hungary & Slovenia (EU Schengen Area)

– Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia (EU countries, non-Schengen Area)

– Serbia, BiH, Montenegro (EU-potential-candidate countries).

Main envisaged activities are:

1. Needs assessment analysis

Partners will examine the existing reports and initiatives on the projects topic. The aim is to assess the existing situation. Based on the needs assessment findings a report on the state of affairs will be produced and agenda of the two day seminar will be developed.

2. Exchanging and Cooperation – Seminar

This two day seminar will establish a platform of up to 40 representatives. It will focus on 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 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. Researchers will add to the expertise in this area.

3. Follow-up review

The seminar and the subsequent analysis through a questionnaire will assess whether the current level of law enforcement knowledge in the WB is sufficient to identify root causes, smuggling routes, trends and key organized criminal groups, engaged in illicit arms trafficking and what more could be done in terms of storage control and destruction of it. This follow-up report will list concrete set of recommendations for future reforms in this field and what kind of support EU countries should provide the most affected countries of the WB through different initiatives. A final project report will add to the design of the Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment (OCTA) for the Danube Region and Europol will be able to identify main threats in the field of illicit trafficking of firearms in Danube Area.

This START project promotes security and further strengthening of the rule of law in tackling organized and serious crime in the Danube Area.

It directly reinforces the frameworks of international cooperation and existing initiatives and is in line with building confidence and skills improvement between Member States and non-Member States. It furthermore adds to the exchange of know-how, best practice and information flow between countries’ criminal and judicial authorities upstream and downstream the Danube Region. Project will establish a platform of stakeholders and add to a serious crime threat assessment in the mentioned topic as well as list a set of suggestions on how to improve the operation between the criminal police, prosecutors and boost research in the Danube Region. Europol will be able to use the gathered information in their reports and initiatives.