Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour and a pleasure to welcome you on behalf of the EUD / EUSR today to discuss a key segment of the rule of law chain. Appropriate witness protection and support is indeed a pivotal tool to guarantee the safety of key witnesses helping them to testify.

Witness Protection affects the credibility of the judiciary and other competent authorities as a whole.

Due to the nature of the most of the crimes committed during the 1992-1995 conflict, witnesses are also victims, and so need particular support throughout and beyond the judicial process.

Effective protection processes send a very clear message that individuals will get the protection while testifying before a court as well as outside criminal proceedings.

This requires a fully functioning system at all levels, including appropriate allocation of financial and human resources to the dedicated structures.

This is why the EU has supported through financial and technical assistance the capacity building of the national authorities.

In total, the EU’s national support so far exceeds 3.8 million euro. Whilst the WINPRO multi-beneficiary (regional) project which is financed by the EU is 12 million euro.

In this context, the EU is coordinating with other donors, including UNDP. We also work closely with the Higher Judicial and Prosecutorial Council as well as the Courts and prosecutor offices for developing future activities.

As a conclusion, let me underline that we appreciate the enhancement of legislation on witness protection program, particularly at state level. However new laws must be implemented in an appropriate and timely manner thus allowing them to translate into an effective and functioning protection system.

The EU will continue supporting this endeavor.

I now wish you a fruitful conference and a useful exchange of views.

Thank you.