On 31st of October 2019, SELEC organized in Bucharest/Romania the high level conference on “Strengthening the cooperation in the fight against trans-border serious and organized crime in Southeast Europe” that marked SELEC’s 20th anniversary. The Conference was attended by high level officials from the Ministries of Interior and law enforcement authorities of SELEC Member States, Ambassadors and representatives of SELEC’s Operational Partners.
The Conference provided the proper forum to assess the achievements of SELEC during these 20 years, and for discussing key topics and challenges faced by the law enforcement authorities in the fight against serious and organized crime in the region, with the general objective to identify strategic solutions that can boost the effectiveness of the cooperation among the SELEC Member States and partners.
The Director General, Mrs. Snejana Maleeva, presented SELEC’s activities, results and achievements obtained throughout these 20 years of successful functioning, and used this opportunity to express appreciation for the support of the law enforcement authorities and dedication of the officers for their continuous endeavors in combating trans-border serious and organized crime in the region. The new Operational Center Unit, that is connected with all National Focal Points, as well as the new platform for virtual reality trainings were introduced to the representatives of the Member States present at the event.
The Member States and Operational Partners’ representatives appreciated the activities and capabilities that SELEC demonstrated until now, and affirmed their strong commitment to sustain the capacity of SELEC through active contribution to the operational activities. SELEC was re-confirmed being the unique law enforcement organization fighting against all forms of crime with the purpose of ensuring the security and stability in Southeast Europe.
The high level representatives adopted a Joint declaration reconfirming their commitment to support SELEC in achieving its mission to continue to serve as an efficient platform of cooperation aiming at countering crime, and expressed the readiness to strengthen multilateral cooperation and take further actions for enhancing the cooperation in the fight against transnational serious and organized crime.