The new director of the Regional Center for Combating Transborder Crime, Mr. Yalcin Cakici, has taken his post after the New Year.  Mr. Cakici, from Turkey, is replacing Mr. Ferenc Banfi, from Hungary.

Special Co-ordinator, Dr. Erhard Busek, welcomed the new director and said “The Center is an example of real regional ownership and co-operation.  It has made excellent strides in bringing law enforcement agencies in the region together.  I am confident that Mr. Cakici will further the good work that has been done to date, expanding its operations and gaining its deserved prominence in fighting transborder organised crime and terrorism in the region.”  Dr. Busek expects “the new director’s emphasis in concrete achievements to be very important in this regard”.

Background

The Regional Center became operational on 1 November 2000.  Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey are parties to the agreement, which has established the Center.  Representatives from their Ministries of Interior and from their Customs organizations are in constant contact with each other through the Center.  In addition, many EU and non-EU countries have observers at the Center.  The Regional Center has set up Task Forces on Illegal Human Beings Trafficking, Illegal Drugs Trafficking, Commercial Fraud, and anti-Terrorism.