UNODC holds Steering Committee meeting on EU-UNODC joint action

UNODC held the 2nd Steering Committee on the EU-UNODC joint action promoting rule of law and good governance through targeted border control measures at ports and airports in South Eastern Europe in a hybrid mode to discuss the main developments within the action to date and agree on the way forward.

The initiative is aimed at enhancing the capacities of authorities in the Western Balkans to fight organized crime, by supporting more effective and coordinated responses to illicit trafficking by border law enforcement at land and port border crossing points and international airports in the region. The action is funded by the European Union (EU) and is implemented by the UNODC-WCO Container Control Programme (CCP) and the UNODC-WCO-INTERPOL Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) in cooperation with the UNODC Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe.

Specifically, UNODC is working on the establishment of joint airport inter-agency groups composed of an AIRCOP Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF) and a CCP Air Cargo Control Unit (ACCU) to cover both cargo and passenger threats as well as providing continuous technical assistance to the existing Port Control Units (PCUs) established by CCP.

The action’s main stakeholders were convened to the event, including senior representatives from the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), EU delegations and the Government authorities in the region, including North Macedonia as well as UNODC along with WCO and INTERPOL.

The event followed with interventions from UNODC representatives stating the importance of continuing efforts in addressing both cargo and passenger related threats while reminding on the objectives of the action. Subsequently, the Governments’ authorities from the region provided a status update on activities within the action, progress and the next steps, particularly on the establishment of the joint inter-agency groups.

The action’s Steering Committee is aimed at providing specific guidance and support to the action as it allows for all the stakeholders to meet and discuss key issues aimed at reviewing the progress of the action and deciding on future undertakings. In doing so, the national ownership of the governments in the region is ensured leading to greater coordination and coherence in the action implementation.