The European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Head of the EU Delegation, Ambassador Peter Sorensen, and U.S. Charge d’Affaires, Nicholas M. Hill, met with BiH Minister of Security, Fahrudin Radoncic, RS Minister of Interior, Radislav Jovicic, and FBiH Minister of Interior, Predrag Kurtes, in Banja Luka today.
The main objectives of the meeting were to follow up on the conclusion and discussions of the previous meeting of the same stakeholders, held on 29 May, to bring up important pending issues of the EU integration process and to express the full support of the EU and the U.S. for the authorities in BiH as they deal with them.
Four different areas were discussed in the meeting. The first issue on the agenda was the update on post visa-liberalisation monitoring developments. Here the main points of discussion were related to the closure of locations for unauthorised border crossing, emphasising its importance for prevention of illegal migration and smuggling of illicit goods. Another topic was functioning of the police data exchange system, which is an important tool in the cooperation between law enforcement agencies. The fight against corruption was also discussed in terms of determining further steps and actions for the efficient implementation of policies for combating corruption.
The second part of the meeting was related to the meeting held on the 29 May and focused on determining whether there was any progress in matters of the Proposed Law on Witness Protection Programme, the Draft Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorist Activities and the Draft Law on Prevention and Suppression of Abuse of Narcotic Drugs. In the meantime, Proposed Law on Witness Protection Programme entered parliamentary procedure and expert finalised a draft Law on the Prevention of Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorist Activities.
The third part concerned the cooperation of BiH with two EU agencies: EUROPOL and CEPOL, where ministers were invited to present views on a possible way ahead when it comes to model of cooperation with EUROPOL and signing the working arrangements with CEPOL. Another discussed topic was how to increase the effectiveness of forensics.
The final section of the meeting concerned the implementation of the last phase of the IPA Law Enforcement Project worth EUR 16.6 million and preparation for further EU support.
Participants concluded that although there were some improvements and progress in the discussed areas of interest, much still remains to be done. The joint presence of the representatives of different jurisdictions showed their willingness to coordinate the work and to collaborate in the area of security in order to tackle the facing challenges in the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
