Cikotić (SDA) relents: EUROPOL contact point moves from DKPT to BiH Square!

(Patria) - The Council of Ministers will today consider the Proposal of the Decision on allocating space to the Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the purpose of establishing a joint contact point for cooperation with EUROPOL on the ground floor of the Friendship Building between Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina, proposed by the Service for Joint Affairs of BiH Institutions.

It appears, according to our sources, that SDA has relented in this case as well, and the contact point will be moved from the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies.

Minister of Security Selmo Cikotić (SDA) is forced to do something about this issue, which has been a stumbling block for years.

Otherwise, the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies (DKPT) previously emphasized that it is ready to participate in any activity that would contribute to solving these problems without encroaching on the jurisdiction of each law enforcement agency in BiH, which have been defined as competent authorities for cooperation with EUROPOL, but with respect for and non-contestation of the Directorate's legal jurisdiction.

Bearing in mind the jurisdiction of the Directorate for the Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH, as prescribed by law, and respecting international standards, the Directorate's position was that the national contact point for cooperation with EUROPOL should and must remain, both organizationally and geographically, within the Sector for International Operational Police Cooperation of DKPT, where other channels for information exchange (INTERPOL, SELEC) are also located. Mirsad Vilić, director of DKPT, explained all the facts regarding this issue in his address to the EU Delegation.

A compromise is now being sought; RS does not agree under any circumstances for it to remain in DKPT!? It is possible that DKPT will remain organizationally in charge of this process, but the headquarters will be at BiH Square.
Regardless, Bosniaks have once again bowed their heads to the wishes of politicians from Republika Srpska.

We remind you that Aljoša Čampara, Minister of Internal Affairs of FBiH, previously withdrew his signature from the Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Contact Point for BiH as the National Contact Point for BiH, which will act as a central point between EUROPOL and other competent authorities of BiH.

The agreement from May 2018 was never signed by all competent authorities for the implementation of the Agreement and operational and strategic cooperation between BiH and the European Police Office, and therefore never entered into force, meaning the conditions for its implementation were not met.

The Agreement also stipulated that the Minister of Security of BiH would submit an Instruction, previously agreed upon with the competent authorities, within 90 days of the conclusion of this Agreement.

"The Instruction does not clarify the legal status of the 'joint contact point,' to whom it is accountable, whether it has legal personality, i.e., whether it is an independent legal entity to be established or operates within another legal entity," the letter, which Patria had access to, states.

As we previously warned, this action will lead to the separation of channels for international cooperation with INTERPOL and EUROPOL. Such a solution is contrary to the Guidelines for a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for international information exchange, which are part of EU Aquis and BiH's obligations in joining the EU.

According to EU guidelines, all channels for international information exchange (INTERPOL, EUROPOL, SELEC, police liaison officer) must be located in one place.

ONLY MUP RS OUTSIDE THE SYSTEM

Communication and cooperation with competent authorities in BiH and the European Police Office are proceeding without problems in terms of processing and providing information through DKPT to member states, with the exception of the MUP of Republika Srpska.

MUP RS informed the Directorate by letter that "given that the Joint Contact Point for BiH has not yet been established as foreseen by the Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between BiH and EUROPOL, MUP RS will provide answers to requests from EUROPOL member states received through the Directorate, which contain operational data including personal data, through other channels"! (via foreign police liaison officers accredited to BiH, via email).

By this action, MUP RS does not respect the general principles of international information exchange when using and choosing a channel for information exchange. By this action, MUP RS calls into question the protection and validity of exchanged information, as well as the fact that the response provided to EUROPOL by the mentioned agency cannot be considered a response from BiH!

SUPPORT FROM SORRANO

In a letter addressed to the former Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Denis Zvizdić, the Deputy Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Pedro Sorrano, considering the organizational structure, material-technical equipment, and human resources, supported the current operationalization of the Agreement on Operational and Strategic Cooperation between BiH and EUROPOL within the Directorate.