Visiting the PCC SEE Secretariat in Ljubljana

3^rd October, Ljubljana, Slovenia – Magdalena Lembovska, Security Research Fellow and Elena Brmbeska, Research Intern had a field visit to the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE) Secretariat in Ljubljana.

The main point of the visit was obtaining new information as well as reviewing the activities and the expected results from the implementation of the ongoing project “Security Transitions in the Western Balkans- from Conflict Zone to Security Community?” In an official but yet a welcoming atmosphere, the discussion enhanced a number of matters, starting from the general concept of the PCC SEE Secretariat, further on the importance of the existing Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (further: the Convention), as well as the activities of the Secretariat along with DCAF and other organizations working on the project. The staff was open to any questions, profoundly elaborating the opened topics and giving extensive answers to all of our concerns.

The “Security Transitions in the Western Balkans- from Conflict Zone to Security Community?” project, conducted with the support of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), the Belgrade Center for Security Policy (BCSP) and five other think-tanks from the region is aimed to establish the national and regional dynamics in the security sector of the transition that the Western Balkan countries undergo. Using a wide range of research activities, the end results of the project are expected to provide a better understanding of the security transitions in the Western Balkan countries.

With these being the primary goals of the project, the PCC SEE Secretariat plays a major role in its implementation, as it was concluded in our meeting. Dealing with multiple questions, the PCC SEE Secretariat mainly operates in two crucial areas: one being the border security between the member countries of the Convention, enabled by the cross-border cooperation; other, every single matter that is enhanced in the Convention, regarding police work in all, currently 12, member countries. This includes joint training programs and exercises, as well as cooperation on ongoing projects or special assignments, both on regional or bilateral level.

The significance of this visit is undoubtedly mutual. For Analytica, it was highly important to verify the credibility of the information collected so far, as well as to confirm the standing-points gained at the current stage of the project. For the PCC SEE Secretariat, as our co-speaker pointed out, it is very useful to be updated on the implementation process of the project and its final outcome.