Commission staff working document



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The criminal dynamics of the Baltic Sea region are influenced by the region’s position between supply countries for cigarettes and synthetic drugs precursors, and destination countries for cigarettes, synthetic drugs, cocaine and hashish, and to a lesser extent heroin. Trafficking in human beings is also an issue. The BSR presents attractive opportunities to organised crime groups from both the EU and neighbouring countries.


An important feature of the region is the long external borders. These often separate two very different types of legislation and make cross-border law enforcement cooperation lengthy and cumbersome. So the border can also facilitate certain organised crime groups and markets. Especially mobile criminal groups, concentrated in ‘hit and run’ type crimes, regularly operate in the northern part of the area. A further facilitator for trade fraud in this region is the large volume of transport across the borders and other vulnerable aspects of the logistics sector.
The EU should promote and support the development of regional approaches and cooperation to combat organised crime, particularly in border regions. The further refinement of cross-border co-operation structures in the BSR should contribute greatly to addressing the ‘security deficits’ in the area. Europol regional support can also help and back up the desired regional law enforcement operational cooperation.
The priority area operates within the framework of the Baltic Sea Task Force on Organised and Crime and its Operational Committee (BSTF OPC). This cooperation platform is an interim structure for dealing with cross-border crime in the Baltic Sea region. Its mandate has been extended by the Heads of Governments of the Baltic Sea States until 31 December 2016. The scheme has been in operation for 14 years and has proved to be necessary. The developments over recent years have made BSTF OPC more and more instrumental in initiating and coordinating operational activities such as joint analysis and investigations. The active participation of Russia in this cooperation gives even more confidence in the importance of this framework.
Another important, especially in sea area, law enforcement cooperation platform in the BSR is the Baltic Sea Region Border Control Cooperation (BSRBCC). It was established in 1996 and with all the EU Member States from the region, as well as from Russia, Norway and Iceland (observer), it has since made steady contributions in the entire field of combating cross-border criminality. It is also involved in environmental protection as well. This cooperation has developed in all Member States National Coordination Centers (NCC), which are connected 24/7. Moreover, the BSRBCC is the frame for carrying out operations at sea and along the coastline, and for further education and regular meetings, including Frontex active participation.
The BSTF OPC also has a mandate from the Crossfire Network for targeting smuggling of firearms into and between countries in the BSR. The network was established in 2008 during the OPC meeting in Sweden; its aim is to exchange information on the smuggling of firearms, with a particular focus on pistols, revolvers, submachine guns and assault rifles. The network also includes Europol, the European Firearms Experts Network, Interpol, Southeast European Law Enforcement Centre (SELEC), the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices in Europe (Cologne, Moscow, Warsaw).
For development of trade and for trade facilitation and for fast, secure and safe EU external trade, the EUSBSR 2012 calls for the full use of the new cohesion policy proposals, notably to advance cross-border infrastructure and at external borders, support modernisation of EU customs infrastructure, equipment, systems and well as administrational capacity building. This physical and administrational capacity building as well reduces cross-border crime.
To specifically target human trafficking via preventive and protective activities, the Heads of Governments of the eleven countries belonging to Council of the Baltic Sea States have established two expert groups composed of national experts representing all the member countries:

  • the Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings (CBSS TF-THB); its current mandate runs until end of June 2014;

  • the Expert Group for Co-operation on Children at Risk (EGCC); its current mandate runs until end of June 2013.


Targets and indicators

The operational objectives/sub-objectives, indicators, baselines and targets/deadlines will be finally set and collected after the first operations have been fulfilled and closed. The objective is to successfully complete joint investigations (e.g. drug seizures, confiscation of criminal gain in the form of money, as stolen cars, etc.). As all the operations are new and were initiated on the basis of the Baltic Operational Crime Assessment (BOCTA) scheme, which identifies the most common areas of criminal activity in the BSR, the baseline is zero and the target can be set at the start of each operational activity.


A comprehensive system for the design, the monitoring and the follow-up of indicators and targets will be set up in 2013, under the responsibility of the priority area coordinators. The still missing targets and deadline, baseline, and statistics/information sources related to the below indicators will be defined.

Objective/sub-objectives

Indicator

Baseline

Target/deadline

Data sources

Better cooperation

Level of cooperation and support.

Situation in 2009, BSTF OPC as interim solution.

Permanent common joint analysis and investigations and law enforcement cooperation platform/31.12.2016.

BOCTA.

Better cooperation

Number of joint operations, investigations and activities/year.



3 on-going operations/investigations/activities 2012.

5 operations/investigations/activities by end-2013.


BSTF OPC Secretariat.

Better cooperation

to prevent trafficking in human beings for forced labour and to protection of the victims



National and regional partnerships.
Knowledge of the mechanisms that facilitate trafficking in human beings for labour exploitation in the Baltic Sea region.

ADSTRINGO project baseline research.

Use of enhanced national and regional partnership and improved knowledge (manifested in preventive activities by June 2014).


ADSTRINGO project reports.
CBSS TF-THB reports.
National reports and statistics.


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