Dear Ministers, Dear representatives from the law enforcement agencies, distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

European Union Twinning Programmes are an exceptional form of gaining expertise from EU Member States. The project that we are closing today is a very good example.
 
The European Union has funded the project with a direct investment of 1,2 M EUR from the Instrument for Pre-Accession.

It is my pleasure to thank the Netherlands as the leading Member State – as well as its partners- experts from Slovenia, Romania and Poland – for their excellent support to the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies (DPC).

There is no doubt that this twinning project that we close today, has helped the DPC on its way to become a functional institution.
 
Two years ago when I arrived in Sarajevo with the task to redefine the European Union’s cooperation on home affairs with the Authorities in Bosnian and Herzegovina. We clearly said upon our arrival that we were to do so in partnership and close cooperation.

We did so on the backdrop of many previous years of cooperation especially through our now finalised EU Police Mission.

Today – 28 months later – we can look back at quite a good number of positive developments in strengthening security and justice for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
 
We have seen the start of a successful and very constructive dialogue at the political level with Minister Radoncic, Minister Jovicic and Minister Kurtes.

We have seen – facilitated through the twining project that we close today as well as through the strategic and political support from my Home Affairs and Public Security Section – that EUROPOL recently took the decision to start negotiations with Bosnia & Herzegovina. Consequently, a EUROPOL fact- finding will take place to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the country beginning of February.

Once an agreement with EUROPOL is in place, this will allow the law enforcement community in BiH to exchange information with EUROPOL when it comes to prevention and investigation of serious and organised crime. It is probably obvious to most of you, what step forward this will be in strengthening international police cooperation for Bosnia and Herzegovina and hereby bringing her closer into our European family.
 
In addition, our EU Member States early on recognised the need for Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a part of all the joint platforms on international police cooperation. In the laws from 2008 it is clearly stipulated that the DPC is designed to become a ‘centre of excellence’ for international police cooperation. Another achievement of the EU twinning project that we close today is the preparation of the DPC for becoming such centre and to prepare such a platform. There is still some work to be done to enable the Directorate to fully carry out its function as a focal point for international police cooperation.

We will also cut the ribbon today to the situation room, which is a part – at least intellectually – of such a platform. The situation room will allow all law enforcement agencies in Bosnia & Herzegovina to jointly react to public security and safety threats. However, police also has an important preventive role. Joint security assessments and forward-looking planning should be further developed and the DPC is very well placed to take a leading role in this process.

Allow me to finalise todays introductory remarks by saying: The European Union and the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have jointly invested in building up the DPC. We have put in both, political capital and financial means and we are jointly accountable for making this work.
 
The European Union will continue our political dialogue and jointly discuss ways ahead to bring the law enforcement sector closer to the EU family. I will with my office facilitate this process.
 
We will see to it that experts from the Member States keep being engaged. For this purpose, we will this year launch additional two new Twinning programmes at a value of around 6,5 M EUR.
 
Since 2007, the EU has allocated under the Instrument for Pre-Accession 30 million EUR in the law enforcement sector and this support will continue.

With this support the European Union have jointly with the responsible authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina helped develop best practice of cooperation, in which the BiH law enforcement community has shown ownership and responsibility. This ownership and responsibility starting to show results. This is what we see today.
 
Thank you for your attention.