Bucharest, April 21, 2015 – The 8th Meeting of the Container Security Task Force took place on 21st of April 2015, being attended by over 30 experts from SELEC Member States and partners (EUBAM, State of Israel, Kingdom of Spain and UNODC).
Mr. Cristian Duta, Director for Operations of SELEC, and Mrs. Aggeliki Matsouka, Hellenic National Coordinator of Container Security Task Force, chaired this one-day meeting hosted by SELEC at its premises.
The meeting provided a space to discuss about the current situation on container security area, new trends and challenges, as well as further steps to be taken for developing this task force. The representatives of the Member States as well as from Kingdom of Spain made interesting presentations in this field including successful joint investigations carried our last year, while UNODC gave an overview on UNODC/WCO Container Control Programme, which aims to build capacity in those countries that seek to improve trade security and facilitation standards and controls at their borders.
During the meeting, the 2014 SEE Regional Assessment on Container Security was presented and approved. The aim of the assessment is to bring useful conclusions for better understanding the situation and improving the existing methodologies of transnational cooperation for tackling containers with illicit cargos and combating relevant customs infringements and violations, as well as to assist in providing a deeper understanding of the threats and concerns that Customs authorities face on daily basis.
The participants strongly underlined the necessity to increase the institutional cooperation among SELEC Members States and partners, by facilitating the exchange of information and sharing of good practices.
The Container Security Task Force was established in 2005, being coordinated by Hellenic Republic.
