POLICE-RELATED ACTIVITIES OF FIELD OPERATIONS SOUTH-EASTERN EUROPE professional networks, building upon the exchange of professional experience of FIUs, Anti-Money Laundering Units and Counter-Organized Crime Departments across the region. detect signs of radicalization or indicators that they might be linked to terrorism. The final training seminar was also held for members of the multi-stakeholder WG for the control of non-profit organizations. To contribute to the sustainability of regional prosecutorial co-operation in combating transnational and organized crime, from 3 to 5 June, the Mission supported the organization of the “5th Permanent Conference of Organized Crime Prosecutors” in Bucharest. The conference brought together senior-level prosecutors from Albania, BiH, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia, who discussed issues relating to the co-operation and information sharing in serious transnational crime and terrorism34. From 25 to 28 September, with the aim of strengthening the capacity and co-operation of law enforcement agencies in countering the use of the internet for the purposes of online radicalization, incitement, gathering and dissemination of information for terrorist purposes, in co-operation with the Italian Embassy, the Mission organized a study visit to Rome for five officers from the MoI’s Service for Combating Terrorism and Extremism, and Deputy Prosecutor for HighTech Crime from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. During the visit, the participants were introduced to the national relevant institutions, their operations, and models for exchanging information. Financial Investigations, Anti-Money Laundering and Seizures of Criminal Proceeds As part of the second phase of the project “Enhancing Capacities of Serbian Police to fight corruption”, to enhance the capacities of police and prosecutors within specialized anti-corruption departments in the fight against money laundering, from September to November, the Mission organized seven advanced training courses on “Interactive Money Laundering Investigative Techniques”. During the courses, some 148 police investigators and prosecutors engaged in case study exercises relating to money laundering investigations. From 16 to 19 December, the Mission assisted the Secretariat in organizing a regional workshop “International Cooperation and Mutual Legal Assistance in Asset Recovery” in Belgrade, aimed at supporting regional efforts in addressing transnational crime. In total, 15 participants from Albania, BiH, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, representing criminal prosecutors’ offices, police investigators in financial investigations and financial organized crime units, discussed regional co-operation in relation to asset seizure and the management of assets seized from persons suspected of organized crime. Counter-Terrorism & P/C VERLT From September to October, in co-operation with the MoI, the Mission organized four training seminars in Ruma, Kopaonik, Niš and Vrdnik for tax and administrative inspectors on P/C VERLT. In total, 50 tax and administrative inspectors from the Ministries of Finance, Public Administration and Local Self-Government learned how to assess if non-profit organizations were being used to finance terrorism, and to 34 During the event, the Greek State Prosecution Office joined the Permanent Conference, which now comprises 13 prosecution offices. From 17 to 18 October, the Mission organized a visit for five officers of the MoI’s Counter Terrorism and Extremism Service to Europol Internet Referral Unit in The Hague. Illicit Drugs and Chemical Precursors From 10 to 14 June, the Mission organized a study visit for eight representatives of the MoI’s Drug Prevention and Narcotics Suppression Service to the Polish Police Central Bureau of Investigation in Warsaw. The visit enabled the sharing of new practices on drug abuse prevention, especially among youth. Participants gained an insight into drug synthesis and production techniques, along with the techniques used to collect evidence. Trafficking in Human Beings & Migration-related Crime To foster regional co-operation in combating organized crime and transnational threats related to illegal migrations and human smuggling, in May and November, the Mission facilitated two operational meetings in Ohrid and Budapest respectively, for some 26 of prosecutors and police investigators in charge of combating the smuggling of migrants from Hungary, North Macedonia and Serbia. Following the second meeting, the Mission organized a seminar in North Macedonia for 50 participants where experts from Austria, Italy, and Turkey delivered training on investigating cases involving human smuggling and collecting and document evidence from open sources. From February to November, the Mission also supported three operational meetings in Serbia and Hungary to exchange operational information and intelligence in relation to joint investigations. On 18 July, the Mission supported the participation of the 87

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