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.