Strengthening institutional capacities in the fight against arms trafficking
Regional platforms for capacity development
Beyond the SEEFEN Network, institutional capacities to counter arms trafficking were further strengthened through a range of technical regional platforms, including the
Criminal Police Services Meeting, and the
Annual Firearms Focal Points Workshop, bringing together representatives from the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and the European Union. Through these mechanisms, SEESAC applied an integrated approach that combined procedural improvements, specialised equipment and targeted law-enforcement training.
Customs Administrations
Kotor
Field visit within the workshop in support of the development of SALW-related SOPs
As part of a regional effort stemming from the recommendations of the 2024 Needs Assessments conducted across all six Western Balkan jurisdictions,
procedural and operational capacities of
customs administrations across the region
strengthened through
five workshops conducted to support the
development of SALW-related Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in
Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo
[1] and the revision of the existing ones in
Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Podgorica
Training on the implementation of the SALW related SOPs for Customs Administration and Border Police
To strengthen the operational application of newly developed procedures in control and inspection work, specialised trainings on the practical implementation of SOPs for customs administrations and border police were delivered in North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Criminal Police Services
Tirana
The regional meeting of the Criminal Police Services from South East and East Europe
The
regional meeting of the Criminal Police Services from South East and Eastern Europe took place in Tirana, Albania, on 8-9 April 2025. The meeting provided a platform for the Western Balkans jurisdictions, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, as well as international experts, to discuss evolving threats posed by illicit firearms trafficking, with particular attention to the increasing misuse and conversion of blank-firing weapons.
Kyiv
A series of hands-on trainings tailored to address the needs of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in conducting firearms-related investigations
Cross-agency cooperation and intelligence-sharing capacities of
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies were enhanced through
three hands-on trainings tailored to the needs of the Ukrainian officials involved in firearms-related investigations. The trainings were held in Kyiv from 14 July to 1 August 2025 and brought together over 40 representatives from various institutions, covering topics related to criminal intelligence analysis, i2 Analyst’s Notebook, and firearms intelligence analysis.
Operationalizing Firearms Focal Points
Igman
The Annual Regional Workshop for Firearms Focal Points
In 2025, SEESAC strengthened the functionality of Firearms Focal Points (FFPs) across the Western Balkans through targeted institutional support, equipment procurement, and specialised capacity-building.
Support was also provided to a Working Group for the drafting of the Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the FFP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, facilitating inter-institutional coordination on mandate, procedures and operational cooperation.
Skopje
The Regional Workshop on Pyrotechnics and Explosives for Civil Use
In addition, the
Regional Workshop on Pyrotechnics and Explosives for Civil Use was held in Skopje, enabling knowledge exchange on
EU certification systems and safety standards and resulting in improved institutional capacities to align national regulations with EU requirements and enhance public safety.
As part of the Annual Firearms Focal Points Workshop, a practical training on force field analysis, an advanced intelligence collection method, was also held, equipping attendees with tools to advance their mapping and analysis of drivers and barriers within intelligence collection.
Igman
Meeting of Ballistic Experts
Within the SEESAC support to the law enforcement authorities, representatives of Firearms Focal Points (FFPs) and ballistic experts from the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine convened in Igman, Bosnia and Herzegovina, for the Meeting of Ballistic Experts dedicated to ballistic insights and the growing threat of converted blank-firing weapons. This meeting was held back-to-back with the Annual Regional FFP Workshop.
Enhancing crime scene investigation capacities
Crime scene investigation capacities across the Western Balkans were strengthened in 2025 through targeted training and the provision of specialised equipment aligned with EU standards and forensic good practices.
Skopje
Handover ceremony for the donation of over $650,000 worth of equipment to Border and Criminal Police of North Macedonia
To enhance faster evidence collection, secure data management and real-time communication with forensic specialists, procurement of specialised CSI and IT equipment advanced significantly across the region. In Montenegro, procurement included the delivery of CartWinPro ballistic software and two mobile ballistic laboratories.
Tirana
Handover ceremony for the donation of over $1.1 million in specialized equipment to strengthen Albania's fight against arms trafficking
Albania received new optical and detection tools and IT equipment. A total of 30 desktop workstations and five laptops were procured and delivered in Serbia and Montenegro, while Kosovo received binoculars, night-vision monocular cameras, GPS trackers and IT equipment. In North Macedonia, IT equipment was fully procured and delivered, while the Bomb Disposal Unit received metal detectors and explosive ordnance disposal kits.
Danilovgrad
A handover ceremony marking the delivery of a major donation of specialized equipment valued at USD 320,000 to Montenegro’s Police Directorate
Beyond strengthening CSI capabilities, the newly supplied equipment will also directly enhance the efficiency of FFPs by streamlining workflows, enabling advanced analytical work, and improving the quality and reliability of forensic outputs.
Skopje
The Regional Workshop on the Recovery of Electronic Evidence
Additionally, the
Regional Workshop on the Recovery of Electronic Evidence (Skopje, 25–26 February 2025) strengthened investigators' skills in digital forensics, evidence handling, and online investigations, and introduced SEESAC's knowledge products on cyber investigations and electronic evidence.
[1] For the United Nations Development Programme, references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). For the European Union, this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
