The Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska, supported by the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument of the European Commission (TAIEX) and in co-operation with the European Academy of Law (ERA), organized a two-day seminar entitled ʺCombatting Terrorism – EU standards, International Cooperation and Experiences form Member Statesʺ. The event was held on May, 22nd and 23rd 2012 in Banja Luka and it was aimed at practitioners in the field, from police officers, ministerial officials to the members of the judiciary.
It gathered more than 60 representatives from the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska, Ministry of Interior of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the representatives of Brcko District Police, Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, SIPA, Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indirect Taxation Authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina, ICITAP and US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The presenters at the seminar included eminent experts from the European Academy of Law (ERA), Swedish Ministry of Justice, General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union, EUROPOL, Ministry of Interior of France, Ministry of Citizens Protection of Greece, Higher Regional Court from Germany and Belgian Crown Prosecution Office.
At the press conference held after the opening of the seminar, the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Srpska, Mr Stanislav Cadjo said that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not immune to acts of terrorism, but that often there was no adequate response of institutions that are dealing with this threat. He emphasized the importance of integration of all community subjects in the fight against terrorism. The Minister also stated that the aim of this seminar was to consider measures in combatting terrorism, to enhance international cooperation in that field and to share experiences of Member States.
Mr Nils Hänniger, Director of Justice and Home Affairs at the Swedish Ministry of Justice and an expert on terrorism, said that there is no country that does not face the threat of terrorism and that even big countries such as Spain, USA and Great Britain suffered great losses in terrorist acts. He also mentioned recent terrorist attacks in Norway and once again emphasized that terrorism represents a global problem.
The seminar covered all aspects of fight against terrorism, from EU legislation related to this issue, to various instruments that are available. Moreover, the practical examples that were presented allowed participants to understand all the issues that have to be analyzed and dealt with when combatting terrorism.
This workshop represents only one of the examples of the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Srpska to provide expert training for law enforcement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The benefit of this kind of event is taking the best European practice, fostering good cooperation and reaching quality results in the area of security.
