SEE Police Cooperation Convention
Signing Ceremony in Vienna
5^th of May, 2006

Final conference of the “SEE Police Cooperation Convention Project”within the framework of the Ministerial Conference on“The role of internal security in relations between the EU and its neighbours”

Statement of the Special-Coordinator Dr. Erhard Busek

The signing ceremony of the SEE Police Cooperation Convention marks an important step in the region, towards stability and security. The convention is an example of how to build trust and confidence in the region, in particular, between the countries that are signing the convention here today. The Police Cooperation Convention follows the example of how police cooperation works in Europe – because the text of the convention is based on the Schengen Treaty as well as on the Austrian – German Police Cooperation Treaty.

Two of our partner countries in the region, Bulgaria and Croatia, are not signing the convention today, but I am hopeful that they will join their neighbours in the near future. Each country in the region needs good police cooperation, working together in their fight against organized crime. Organised crime is international, cutting across borders and, therefore, only police forces working together can lead to the eventual successful defeat of    organised crime.

The Stability Pact is a great supporter of the Austrian project, which is now at its conclusion and is on the table to be signed by the Ministers of Interior. I would like to thank Her Excellency Minister of Interior Mme Lise Prokop for initiating this project,    the German Ministry of Interior for its financial support,   the Austrian project team for their coordination and process guidance and You as well, the Ministers of Interior of the countries from the SEE who are signing this convention here today, for their vision of the future of police cooperation within the region - You are on the European way of fighting organized crime by creating strong police forces.

With this convention you give the police an excellent tool in their hands to work towards a safe environment for people to live in. The convention is full of new instruments for cooperation like exchange of data, but also data protection, searching perpetrators, but also protecting witnesses in criminal cases, to build specialised investigation groups, but also to allow the police just to work in common patrols on both sides of the border: altogether a picture of excellent co-operation.

Of course, the convention has to be implemented for this picture to become true. The implementation is not only a political process in your countries towards the ratification through parliament within a certain time frame, but also a practical process of supporting the police in using the convention in their daily work. The police officer’s have to work within clear legal police procedures in any of their cross border actions and therefore - they have to be trained,    they have to know how to work within the law, such as in the case of using weapons in another country or how to report within the correct time frame when it comes to a case of hot pursuit. The convention is full of open issues which need to be answered in detail.

This process should start in parallel to the ratification process. The draft convention has already been introduced to the EU Commission. I strongly recommend that the Commission will now make the follow-up process part of its own agenda and that the EU will support the detailed implementation of the Convention from the new financial instrument for co-operation with the EU neighbouring countries. This follow-up process should start as soon as possible after the signing ceremony.

The Stability Pact will support the follow-up process and, in particular, monitor the political process of ratification. These processes should go well if we look at how in such a short space of time such an ambitious project as the police cooperation convention reached its successful conclusion, starting from zero to the final conclusion of the signing of the convention within merely seven months. Credit for this should go to the Austrian project team as well as to the country delegations during the negotiation process and also to the Ministers of Interior for keeping the process running. This success should be used as an example for the follow-up process, so that the police can practically use the convention as soon as it has been ratified.

I would like to    finish with, a few words regarding the Regional Table meeting, which will take place in Belgrade at the end of May. At this meeting there will be discussions, which should lead to a decision on how the Stability Pact facilitates the SEE with the transition process towards regional ownership. In this process existing partners should be included: Europol, SECI Center and SEECP, for example.

The convention is an important step towards such ownership and, therefore, I will support the follow-up personally both on the political and practical side. Therefore, I appeal to the Ministers of Interior and the EU Commission to remove    any obstacles and hesitations in the follow-up to this convention and, finally – I hope that Austria will be included in the follow-up process as it has the best knowledge of the convention.