Handover ceremony of equipment donated by the European Union to the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) worth EUR 441,025 took place on 19 December 2016 at the Armed Forces of BiH facility in Visoko.

The European Union donated EUR 441,025 worth of security equipment for two military storage sites ‘Rabic’ Derventa and ‘Teufik Buza Tufo’ Visoko, as part of the EU Support of SEESAC Disarmament and Arms Control Activities in South East Europe (EUSAC) Project. The donation is part of the EUSAC’s Component 1 that aims to improve security infrastructure and stockpile management for the storages of conventional weapons and ammunition stockpiles. The EU provided support through the EU Council Decision 2013/730/CFSP in the amount of up to 5.127,650 EUR.

Dzenan Redzo, Assistant Minister for policy and planning and Borislav Jezeraskic, Assistant Minister for procurement and logistics in the Ministry of Defence BiH, Filip De Ceuninck, Senior Regional Counter Terrorism and Security Advisor at Delegation of European Union to BiH and Slobodan Tadic, Justice and security sector leader of United Nations Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP BiH) took part in the handover ceremony.

“I would like to express my gratitude for this valuable and important equipment for the Ministry of Defence. This donation is improving control and security of storage sites and contributing to the broader security of the country and the region”, said Borislav Jezeraskic, Assistant Minister for procurement and logistics.

“UNDP and EU recognized the need for improvements of physical security at the locations of the Ministry of Defence and its importance for the security in the wider region”, UNDP BiH Justice and security sector leader, Slobodan Tadic said during the ceremony, highlighting that this donation “will also contribute to improved safeguarding of the stockpiles, as well as prevent SALW proliferation that may represent a threat to peace, stability and sustainable development.”

The history of large scale accumulation of small arms and light weapons and ammunition stockpiles in South East Europe, has made the countries in the region a particular concern in the European Union Strategy to combat illicit accumulation and trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition. The Strategy is supported by the EU Council Decision 2013/730/CFSP), which is a continuation of the Union’s previous support to combat the threat posed by the spread and illicit trafficking in SALW, in and from South East Europe.

EU SUPPORT OF SEESAC DISARMAMENT AND ARMS CONTROL ACTIVITIES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE (EUSAC)

The European Union entrusted SEESAC with the implementation of a series of region-wide activities in the period 2014 – 2016 through EU COUNCIL DECISION 2013/730/CFSP. The upgrade of storages is part of Component 1 of the resulting EUSAC Project (EU Support of SEESAC Disarmament and Arms Control Activities in South East Europe) which is an integral part of the SEESAC SALW Control portfolio.

EUSAC marks a continuation of the trust placed in SEESAC by the EU since 2002. The European Union previously supported SEESAC through Council Decision 2002/842/CFSP, extended and amended by Council Decisions 2003/807/CFSP and 2004/791/CFSP and 2010/179/CFSP.

Designed in close cooperation with national authorities, the EUSAC project works on the following five interrelated streams of activities:

• Increased security of stockpiles: through the renovation and security improvements to storages of arms and ammunition.
• Stockpile reduction: through the destruction of surplus arms and ammunition held in storages.
• Improved marking, tracing and registration of SALW: through the provision of support to the establishment or enhancement of existing weapons registration and record-keeping systems.
• Improved regional cooperation on awareness raising, information sharing and knowledge transfer: through the facilitation of regional cooperation between national institutions tasked with arms control.
• Implementation of collection and awareness raising campaigns.