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 regional course 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, reports
PublicPolicySerbiaWeekly, Centre's weekly newsletter in English.
EUSAC marks a continuation of the trust placed in SEESAC by the EU since 2002. The Union previously supported SEESAC through Council Decision 2002/842/CFSP, extended and amended by Council Decisions 2003/807/CFSP and 2004/791/CFSP. Most recently, the Union supported SEESAC arms control activities through Council Decision 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.
UNDP Eastern and South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms (SEESAC) commissioned the Public Policy Research CENTRE to analyse data on SALW related incidents collected via the Targeting Weapons (Oruzje na meti) platform launched by the SEESAC in 2012. The analysis is based on 470 entries gathered mainly through news reports. The analysis, as well as the platform, were supported by European Union funds.
CENTRE prepared the analysis of the data on arms related incidents reported by the press in last two years, as well as on the citizens’ opinions about the arms possession, justifications for carrying them in public, and their tips about weapons spotted which were submitted to the Targeting Weapons platform. The analysis is topical keeping in mind that the Law on Weapons and Ammunition is passed on 20th of February and that the campaign for legalization or surrendering illegally possessed weapons has just started.
