OSCE meeting focuses on border security and combating illegal migration in South-Eastern Europe

BRDO PRI KRANJU, Slovenia, 15 June 2005 - Fighting organized crime, trafficking and illegal migration in South-Eastern Europe was the main subject of a two-day regional meeting in Brdo pri Kranju, organised by the Slovenian OSCE Chairmanship.

The meeting was attended by 47 representatives from South-Eastern Europe countries and the OSCE Secretariat, mostly experts from border monitoring authorities.

The OSCE South-Eastern Europe Cross-Border Co-operation Programme is part of the OSCE's contribution to the Ohrid Process on Regional Border Security and Management in South-Eastern Europe.

The programme, launched in 2004, is aimed at supporting international actors such as the OSCE, the EU, NATO and the Stability Pact in assisting countries in the region to improve their border policing capacities and to reinforce cross-border co-operation.

The meeting, which ended today, was the second of four to be held during the Slovenian OSCE Chairmanship. It provided experts from countries in south-eastern Europe with an opportunity to exchange experiences on practical requirements for fighting cross-border crime, with a special focus on illegal migration.