JUSTICE AND INTERIOR MINISTERS TO CONTINUE REGIONAL

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000380 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL HR REGIONAL ISSUES SUBJECT: JUSTICE AND INTERIOR MINISTERS TO CONTINUE REGIONAL COOPERATION ¶1. (U) In its capacity as Chair-in-office of the SouthEast Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP),Croatia hosted an April 13 conference of SEECP justice and interior ministers in Zagreb to discuss regional co-operation in judicial reform and combating cross-border crime and illegal migration. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader opened the meeting, which was also attended by European Commissioner for European Justice, Freedom and Security Franco Frattini, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, and Southeast Europe Stability Pact Coordinator Erhard Busek. Ministers and six deputy ministers or state secretaries from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey attended. Croatian representatives included Justice Minister Ana Lovrin, Interior Minister Ivica Kirin, Supreme Court President Branko Hrvatin, Chief State Attorney Mladen Bajic, and USKOK (Office for the Prevention of Corruption and Organised Crime) Director Dinko Cvitan. ¶2. (U) The conference ended with the adoption of a final declaration recapping past activities and defining the common goals of future co-operation between SEECP countries. PM Sanader told the press that judicial reform and the fight against corruption are key topics for the region, and added that SEECP plays a vital role in the promotion of co-operation in this region. Frattini also noted the importance of the fight against corruption, saying that it should be conducted through legislative reforms in the countries of the region. Busek listed five important mechanisms in combating organized crime, citing the fight against cross-border crime, close cooperation between police chiefs, combating vehicle theft in cooperation with European and international police organizations Europol and Interpol, combating corruption through exchanges of experience and training seminars, and combating illegal immigration. Romanian PM Popescu-Tariceanu stressed the important role of the regional centre for combating organized crime, which is based in Bucharest. ¶3. (SBU) Assistant Justice Minister Ljiljana Vodopija-Cengic, who was heavily involved in organizing the conference, told Emboffs April 17 that she was very pleased with the outcome of the meeting, which highlighted progress made under the Croatian SEECP chairmanship. This includes plans for a regional network of state attorney's offices to facilitate the fight against organized crime and the criminal prosecution of cross-border crime, and a harmonized data protection system for an effective exchange of information and cooperation with specialized agencies such as Europol, Eurojust and Frontex. Bilateral meetings with Commissioner Frattini were also very helpful to Croatia in its ongoing efforts to prepare for EU membership. BRADTKE