JOINT STATEMENT OF THE MINISTERS OF INTERIOR/PUBLIC ORDER OF THE SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN COOPERATION PROCESS (SEECP) Tirana, December 5, 2001 Ministers of the Participant and Observer Countries of the South East European Co-operation Process, Mr. Ilir GJONI, Minister of Public Order, Mr. Rumen STOILOV, Deputy Minister of Interior, Mr.Evangelos MALESSIOS Vice- Minister of Public Order, Mr. Refet ELMAZI, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Mihai Gheorghe STOICA, General Director of the Directorate for Countering the Organized Crime and Anti Drug, Mr. Rasim BAS, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Stevan NIKCEVIC, Assistant Minister, Mr.Ranko OSTOJIC Police Director General/Assistant Minister of Interior met in Tirana on 5 December, 2001 at the Meeting of Ministers of Interior /Public Order of South East European Cooperation Process (S.E.E.C.P.). This meeting reaffirmed once again the engagements and the commitments of the Participant and Observer Countries of the South East European Cooperation Process, on the fight against organized crime and all forms of illegal trafficking. The meeting gave the Ministers the opportunity to strongly condemn, once again, the terrorist acts of 11 September in U.S.A., supporting the measures already taken in the fight against terrorism all over the world, by accepting the fact that such acts are a threat for all the nations and reaffirming their solidarity with U.S.A., Ministers of the Participant and Observer Countries of S.E.E.C.P. welcomed the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1373 and expressed their full support to intensify and co-ordinate the work of the countries of the region in order to strengthen the co-operation in the fight against terrorism of any kind and form. Aware of the threat posed by the increasing activities of international organized crime, terrorism, all forms of illegal trafficking and of the need to fight against these illegal activities which threaten the security, stability and economic development, not only of the Participant and Observer Countries but wider, the Ministers reaffirmed the need to co-operate and to continue the process of improving and harmonizing the legislation and the respective structures with the European Union standards. Ministers acknowledged and commended the role of the Stability Pact for South East Europe in helping to identify and emphasize the essential regional dimension in the fight against organized crime and illegal trafficking. Ministers welcomed the progress made regarding the establishment of the Vlora Anti-trafficking International Center through the initiative of the Albanian Government and with the support and cooperation of three European Union Member States (Italy, Germany and Greece), inviting, in parallel, other countries to participate in the functioning of this Center. Ministers agreed to make use, to support and develop the channels of SECI Regional Center in Bucharest, through the appointed liaison officers and of the relevant regulatory instruments and initiatives of the Stability Pact, by following the Interpol and Europol specific procedures. Based on: United Nations Convention "Against Trans-National Organized Crime", signed in New York on 15 November 2000, and the two Protocols to it; South East European Declaration on Trafficking of Human Beings, signed in Palermo on 13 December 2000; The SECI Agreement on Co-operation to Prevent and Combat Trans-border Crime, signed in Bucharest, on 26 May 1999; Statement of Commitments "On Exchange Information Mechanism on Trafficking of Human Beings in Southeast Europe", signed on 27 November 2001 in Zagreb. The Participant and Observer Countries of the Cooperation Process of Southeast Europe agreed to have a closer cooperation in the field of internal affairs in order to fight against organized crime, terrorism, corruption, money laundering, trafficking of human beings and all the other forms of illegal trafficking. The Ministers identified the following areas of importance, serving to the Countries of Cooperation Process of Southeast Europe to strengthen the cooperation and to increase the capacities in the fight against organized crime and illegal trafficking: to harmonize their national legislation in compliance with the European Union standards in the fight against organized crime to carry out criminal investigations. Also, to harmonize their legislation concerning the protection and support the victims of the trafficking in human beings; to assist each-other, in compliance with the international norms as appropriate and/or bilateral agreements in the areas which deal with the fight against organized crime and illicit trafficking; to refer to the bilateral agreements among the Participant and Observer Countries of the Southeast Europe Cooperation Process for the readmission of persons having illegally entered and/or illegally residing in the territories of the countries of the region; to further enhance the mechanisms of information exchange regarding operational aspects of combating the organized crime, terrorism and illicit trafficking, with the investigation procedures and methods of law enforcement to prevent the crime; to exchange the best experiences and practices in the fight against organized crime and illicit trafficking, by participating in regional training activities for law enforcement officials, especially for criminal police, border police etc; to build upon the initiative of the Stability Pact in establishing networks and building confidence among the police forces of South East Europe, and look forward to the report of the working group established to elaborate a three-year strategy on regional police training. to appoint liaison officers or national contact points in order to facilitate the procedures of cooperation in general and especially for information exchange, aiming to fight the criminal groups and organizations; to strengthen the border control for a better and more efficient prevention and detection of illegal crossings through which the activities of organized crime and illicit trafficking can be realized; the mechanism of information exchange between the Participants and Observer Countries of Southeast European Cooperation Process will function only for the interest of the fight against organized crime, terrorism and illicit trafficking, according to the standards of collecting, protecting and transmitting, in compliance with the national legislation as well as by respecting the international laws on data protection; to explore the possibility of establishing an Association of South East European Police Colleges (ASEEPC) as a means to facilitate all forms of police training and education and welcoming the contribution of the Stability Pact and other interested international partners to assist in its development. to meet in high official level whenever it's necessary to further on the joint actions on issues which deal with the fight against organized crime, terrorism and illicit trafficking. Furthermore, by means of these meetings there will be an opportunity to assess proposals and/or possible projects to be jointly submitted to the relevant initiatives e.g. organized crime, illegal migration and trafficking in human beings, within the Working Table III of the Stability Pact. The Ministers expressed their gratitude for the achieved progress in connection with the regional cooperation on the fight against organized crime, terrorism and illicit trafficking, serving as the basis for a further strengthening of the joint commitments of the Southeast European Cooperation Process.