Meeting of the SPOC Steering Committee and the SPOC Advisory and Contact Group: Summary of the Results

GENERAL

1. Participants all thanked the Bulgarian host for the preparation and organisation of the meeting. In his opening statement Bulgarian Chief -Secretary Bosilkov pointed out in the post-Cold War period, organised crime is becoming a major threat to social and political stability. He emphasised that only enhanced co-operation among law enforcement agencies can lead to success in combating organised crime. 

2. The representative of the Special Co-ordinator, Mr. Bernd Hemingway, expressed the importance given by the initiative to the ownership principle. Co-operation is the key word to fight organised crime. In this respect the SPOC also plays a crucial role between the countries of the region including the accession countries as well as for those involved in the Stabilisation and Association Process. At the same time this calls the countries of the region to take their responsibility to steer the initiative, making use of the expertise available in the Advisory and Contact Group.

SPECIFIC RESULTS

3. The Steering Committee decided that the countries of the region will, by the 15 February 2001, building on existing information present to the Steering Committee via the SCSP and to the Advisory and Contact Group a Report about their Needs Assessment and their Priorities related the four areas of concern in the SPOC ¹ initiative. A second part should elaborate on proposals to fill the gaps. The priorities presented during the meeting were trafficking of human beings, of weapons, drugs and stolen vehicles. Furthermore the question of equipment, training and data protection. The members of the Advisory and Contact Group will comment on this in good time before the next Steering Committee meeting.

4. As a result of the presentation given by Slovenia and Hungary the Committee asked the representatives of these countries to present concrete proposals on the possibilities for them to support this co-operation initiative. They are invited to send the proposals to the SCSP by 15 February 2001.

5. Participants agree that it is important for all participants to share the information about the four areas of concern in the SPOC ¹ to improve national competencies and co-operation and to learn from the lessons learn in the accession process. To this end the Council of Europe (CoE) and Bulgaria volunteered to develop a form, which could help the countries to inform all participants about policies and strategies against organised crime as well as multi disciplinary national co-ordinating mechanisms to ensure their implementation. The form should be sent by CoE/Bulgaria to the SCSP by 1 February 2001 who will ensure distribution. Feedback would be expected by the 1 March 2001 to the SCSP who will distribute input to the Steering Committee.

6. Following the discussion about a secretariat for the initiative, the Steering Committee tasked Romania together with SECI and the SCSP to draft Terms of Reference for a possible secretariat and to elaborate possible solutions.

7. Following the discussions about stock taking exercise participants asked Romania as CiO of the OSCE to look into this issue as it would be important to have this as a constant and up-dated tool.

8. The Steering Committee decided to meet again just before the Working Table III meeting in Zagreb under Croatian chairmanship to discuss the points 3 to 7 of this summary and to develop national and regional action plans to be presented as the SPOC strategy for the planned donors’ conference.
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¹ see page 7 of the initiative as adopted by WT III on the 5 October 2000, Sofia