The 6th meeting of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force

Bucharest, April 7th, 2016 – On 5 – 6 of April SELEC organized the 6th meeting of the Anti-Terrorism Task Force at its headquarters in Bucharest/Romania. The meeting brought together experts and decision makers of SELEC Member States and its Partners (EUBAM, EUROPOL, INTERPOL, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Ukraine and United States of America – FBI).

In the context of the terrorist events in the last period of time, I appreciate that, now, more than ever, we should focus on improving and enhancing the process of exchanges of information, mobility and operational capacity in order to better respond and, more important, to prevent such events“ stated Mr. Romulus Nicolae Ungureanu, SELEC Director for Operations, as chairman, emphasizing the importance of operational and strategic cooperation and reassuring SELEC Member States and Partners of the Center’s permanent support in the common fight against terrorism. The actions of SELEC within the Anti-Terrorism Task Force were presented by Mr. Murat Caliskan, Task Force Manager, who was co-chairing the meeting.

The meeting provided a forum for discussions on practical approaches in preventing and countering terrorism, with the overall goal of enhancing cooperation in this area and setting the common directions to be followed. Participants acknowledged the current situation in this field, shared good practices, success stories, challenges and lessons learned and agreed that only an enhanced cooperation will lead to an efficient fight against terrorism.

The Task Force meeting also provided the framework for the Member States representatives to bilaterally exchange information and intelligence on ongoing joint investigations

Representatives of academia and private sector also participated in a dedicated open session where they had the opportunity to share their latest studies, innovations and tools which can be supportive for Law Enforcement authorities in their fight against terrorism and organized crime.As a response to new emerging terrorist threats and in line with the Convention provisions and ideas expressed by the representatives of the Member States, SELEC will further increase and diversify the operational support provided to the law enforcement agencies in their fight against terrorism.