BiH signs agreement with EUROPOL, but it's still unclear who will coordinate the cooperation!?

An agreement on operational and strategic cooperation has been signed between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Police Service (Europol). It will mean the exchange of operational data between BiH and the police forces of Europol member states, including personal data on suspects, but as the BiH Minister of Security, Dragan Mektić, himself confirmed, it is still unclear who will coordinate this cooperation, reports the Patria news agency.

- Our obligation, after the agreement is signed and enters into force, is to create certain preconditions for this agreement to function, and we are obliged to establish a focal point on our BiH side that will cooperate, i.e., be a direct connection to EUROPOL, or from EUROPOL to BiH. After this agreement is ratified by the BiH Parliament, we will form and establish this focal point at the BiH level. I cannot say exactly what it will look like at this moment.

However, we have experience with how we function with INTERPOL, and we have our organizational unit that functions very well with INTERPOL, and we will establish at least such a capacity, but don't ask me right now in what sense and how it will look – Mektić said.

Otherwise, the cooperation between Bosnia and Herzegovina and the main European Police should be coordinated by the state police of the country, i.e., the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies (DKPT), and not the Ministry of Security. This is also defined by the Constitution of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Article 3.

The potential transfer of cooperation with EUROPOL from the Directorate to the Ministry of Security of BiH strengthens the position of Republika Srpska, as well as the cantons in the Federation of BiH. This is not only strengthening separatist policies in RS and the Federation of BiH, but the decision is illegal, unconstitutional, and anti-state... Cantons are given importance in international relations that they should not have.

Mektić informed the Director of the European Police Office (Europol), Rob Wainwright, about the key security challenges facing BiH.

- I said that these are radicalism, manifestations of terrorism, organized crime, drug smuggling and addiction, human trafficking, the fight against all forms of property crime – car theft. The third key strategic priority is the fight against corruption, which has permeated all pores of our social life and thus threatens the economic foundation – Mektić emphasized.

Today's meeting and the signing of the agreement come in light of major terrorist threats and attacks shaking Europe, and the large migration crisis that has been exploited by human traffickers, said the Director of Europol.

- As of today, BiH has joined a group of 700 police agencies from 40 countries covered by Europol's cooperation. We eagerly await the implementation of this agreement because we are aware that you possess knowledge that will be beneficial to Europol. In return, we are making all our capacities available to help your security sector protect citizens and ensure a safe environment for them. The agreement is at an operational level and regulates police operations that will deal with real cases – Wainwright stated.