WB PaCT network platform brings together counter terrorism specialists of the Western Balkans with EU agencies

The network platform of the WB PaCT project provided an opportunity for counter terrorism specialists of the Western Balkans to share expertise with Europol, Eurojust and CEPOL and to discuss the benefits of partnering with the EU agencies in fighting terrorism.

The two-day workshop was hosted by Europol and Eurojust in The Hague, and was focused on the integrated implementation of the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda by the three European Union agencies and its practical manifestations in day-to-day operations. Moreover, the workshop displayed the profound cooperation benefits between the EU agencies and the Western Balkans in the area of counter terrorism. Experts representing the European Commission, the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator’s Office, the European External Action Service, Europol, Eurojust and CEPOL facilitated the dialogue amongst the partners during the event.

Descending from the strategic context to practical examples, the workshop highlighted the advantages of partnership in fighting terrorism and reinforced that the proactivity principle in information exchange is paramount in this crime field. The network platform of the CEPOL WB PaCT project aims to collect and disseminate these outcomes to the counter terrorism community of the Western Balkans.

About WB PaCT

The Partnership against Crime and Terrorism project in the Western Balkans (WB PaCT) aims at enhancing the capacities of the authorities in the Western Balkans to fight organised crime and terrorism including preventing and countering violent extremism by enhancing cooperation within the region and with the EU.

The WB PaCT project is implemented by the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) in partnership with the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). The project partners are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The duration of the project is 36 months (19 October 2020 – 18 October 2023).

For more information on the WB PaCT project, please visit the project page.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and it is in line with the UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence