WELCOME TO GENEVA CENTRE FOR SECURITY SECTOR GOVERNANCE – INSTITUTE DCAF LJUBLJANA

Border Security Programme

The DCAF Border Security Programme contributes to the raising of efficiency of border management authorities in Southeast Europe and fosters mutual cooperation to successfully mitigate modern and occurring security threats to regional and European border integrity. It aims to enhance the security of citizens and support the free movement of people, goods and ideas.

Via building regional capacities, transferring European standards, good practices, and responding the actual needs in the area of regional border management, the Programme contributes to a full implementation of the Integrated Border Management concept in the Southeast European region.

In early 2012, the DCAF Border Security Programme has been transferred from Geneva to DCAF Ljubljana, the permanent office of DCAF in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Along with structural and organisational changes, the Programme has been reshaped to make it even more efficient and result oriented.

The DCAF Border Security Programme (BSP) assists the beneficiaries in response to emerging, acute and contemporary challenges to security.

The DCAF BSP has greatly supported police cooperation in the region, made possible by the Police Cooperation Convention for Southeast Europe (PCC SEE), the commonly held legal basis for cross-border police cooperation, implemented by DCAF Ljubljana.

The beneficiary countries of the BSP are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.  Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia are actively supporting its implementation, together with wide partnership of actors (EU agencies, 3rd party donors, international actors).

The BSP is run from the DCAF Ljubljana office and is made of four major components:

1. Police Education and Training

DCAF fosters the development of sustainable and contemporary police education programmes and training methods, supports cooperation among national police education and training institutions, and implements useful good practices and standards in the area of police education and training.

2. Introducing European/Schengen Legislative and Practical Standards in Border Policing

DCAF facilitates the introduction of European legislative standards and best practices in the area of border policing to Western Balkan police services in view of the responsibilities of their future EU/Schengen membership.

3. Operational Cooperation in Management of Irregular Migration and Fight Against Organised and Cross Border crime

DCAF facilitates regional cross-border operational police measures (“Common” and “Coordinated” operations) at regional borders, aimed to mitigate security risks posed to the Western Balkan borders.  Responding to the unprecedented migratory pressures in 2015, the DCAF BSP works with the beneficiaries to address this issue and was to set up joint operations, bringing together police officers from all beneficiaries to work side by side on a territory of another country, performing police duties in their uniforms, with their equipment and service weapons.

4. Enhancing capacities for recognition and tackling the Illicit trafficking of cultural goods

DCAF Ljubljana works with the local authorities and international actors to enhance the national capacities of the DCAF BSP Beneficiaries for recognition and fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural goods. 



Beneficiary states

Albania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moldova

Montenegro

North Macedonia

Serbia