Special Co-ordinator Erhard Busek, speaking at the Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Conference in Brussels 28 November, stated that the conference gives a clear signal of a united front in the fight against organised crime.  This reflects an important development on two accounts.  First, it shows that the countries of Southeastern Europe and Western Europe have institutionalised their top-level political commitment to fighting organised crime since the London Conference on the same subject of November 2002.  Second, it is equally important that EU member states, candidate countries and the Western Balkans are united under EU leadership according to the Thessaloniki-Formula of the June 2003 Summit.  "This is living proof of the reinvigorated perspective for EU membership and a practical and visible demonstration of the domains, where future members have to catch up", Busek said.

The Stability Pact is grateful for the top-level commitment, as the Pact's numerous practical activities on the ground in Southeastern Europe need this political umbrella as much as they need the commitment of officers in the countries concerned.   Busek called upon the South East European Co-operation Process, chaired by Bosnia-Herzegovina, to strengthen regional co-operation by launching a joint campaign to fight organised crime and corruption.   With reference to the legal framework in SEE, the Pact supports the necessary changes in the legislation regarding the UN Convention against Transnational Crime and making organised crime, corruption and proceeds gained thereof a criminal offence.  The Pact was also instrumental in finding donor support for related technical assistance, benefiting law enforcement agencies in SEE as well as for training and improved equipment.  In practical terms, the Stability Pact is engaged in fighting the trafficking in human beings, small arms collection with a regional centre in Belgrade (together with UNDP), combating corruption, including a regional centre in Sarajevo.  The Pact also runs an initiative to fight organised crime, its secretariat being co-located with the Regional Transborder Crime Fighting Centre in Bucharest.  The Crime Fighting Centre, operated in the framework of the Southeast Co-operate Initiative (SECI - also headed by Erhard Busek) is interlinked with Interpol and serves as real-time information exchange, staffed by one customs and police officer of each of the 12 participating countries.  The Stability Pact has also launched an Initiative to tackle the problem of car theft and trafficking of stolen cars in SEE, as well as recovering stolen vehicles amongst eight participating countries.  In addition, an Organised Crime Training Network with joint training structures for investigators has recently been established. 

The Special Co-ordinator underlined, that the efforts of SEE countries have led to real improvements as well as to a higher public awareness of the negative effects organised crime, and its twin corruption, have on the SEE region, especially regarding foregone investments.   However, Busek also pointed out, that the donor community should be aware that their pledges and commitments going to SEE in technical assistance and support to local authorities are a tiny fraction of the fiscal losses, that Western donor countries suffer because of the illegal products coming from the Balkans or being trafficked through that corridor.  The losses and illegal profits of cigarette smuggling or human trafficking for the sex industry amount to billions each year.  For stolen cars, the illegal profits were estimated to have been Euro 5.8 billion in 2002 alone.  Compared to these losses, the support going to the eight countries active in the Stability Pact' organised Crime Fighting Initiative are comparatively modest, amounting to approximately Euro 40 million per year, according to our best estimates.  “It is therefore not only smart”, Busek concluded, “but also more cost-effective to increase the support for combating crime rather than to cope with its fallout at home.” 

Annex:          Special Co-ordinator’s speech