On the margins of the Salzburg Forum meeting, the Conference of Signatories of the Convention on Police Cooperation in South-Eastern Europe was organised today, on 17 July 2008. The ministers of the signatories of the Convention determined that the secretariat of the Convention will be based in Ljubljana.

The secretariat will be organised at the DCAF Institute in Ljubljana, recently established on the basis of the agreement with the Ministry of the Interior of the RS by the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF). The operation of the Secretariat is scheduled to begin on 1 September 2008.

The ministers of the signatories expressed their satisfaction that the secretariat will be based in Ljubljana, for Slovenia enjoys a very good reputation among the Convention signatories for its achievements (EU membership, integration in the Schengen area, good results in the field of home affairs during the Slovenian Presidency of the EU Council).

The Convention on Police Cooperation in the South-Eastern Europe was signed on 5 May 2006 when it was ratified by all countries. Under this convention, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania and Serbia established modern forms of cross-border police cooperation fully comparable to the rest of Europe.

Since the signature and the ratification of the Convention do not constitute considerable development, the ministers of the member states adopted the working programme for a rapid implementation of the Convention. Among others, the ministers expressed their belief that the establishment of the Convention secretariat will be essential for the progress and development of the member states in the direction of rapid and full implementation of the Convention.