The European Law Enforcement Agency (EUROPOL) and the law enforcement agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina signed the regulation on the work of the National Contact Point for cooperation with EUROPOL, on Tuesday, which represents an important step towards achieving full cooperation.

Achieving Contact Point’s full operation will enable direct cooperation between EUROPOL and all BiH police agencies, and the referral of the BiH liaison officer at EUROPOL to The Hague, which will be a big step forward in the fight against organized crime and terrorism, BiH Security Minister Nenad Nesic, Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Johann Sattler, head of the Unit for Strategy and External Relations in EUROPOL, Patrícia Silveira, and entity and cantonal ministers of interior, directors of state-level law enforcement agencies and the head of the Brcko District Police agreed at the signing ceremony.

Nesic stated that, although the only country in the Western Balkans that has not yet established full cooperation with EUROPOL, Bosnia attaches special importance to international police cooperation through the Joint Contact Point.

Sattler expressed satisfaction that BiH has made a step towards full cooperation with EUROPOL because, as an EU candidate country, it is expected to show credible results in the fight against organized crime and corruption.

“By fully implementing the Agreement on Cooperation with EUROPOL and later by signing the Agreement on EUROJUST and FRONTEX, Bosnia and Herzegovina will fully begin to use European instruments to strengthen the fight against serious forms of crime, which will be useful for BiH citizens, but also a step forward on the way to the EU,” said Sattler.

Silveira said that countries must fight together against international criminal threats in order to achieve a safe society for all citizens.

She underlined that joining forces has become more important than ever, and for EUROPOL it remains a top priority to strengthen cooperation with all countries in the region.

The signing of the regulation will also enable the exchange of information on criminals through EUROPOL's Secure Information Exchange Network (SIENA), including the SIENA counter-terrorism database.