BUCHAREST, June 6th – The SECI Center celebrated its 9th anniversary together with the representatives of the Joint Cooperative Committee (JCC), the highest decision body of the organization, and high ranking officials from the member countries, observer states and partner organizations. The celebration was hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Hungary in Bucharest, one of the twelve member states of the SECI Center. Hungary is also the home country of the JCC chairman, Lt. General Dr. János Nagy, Commissioner of the Hungarian Customs and Finance Guards.
The event was an excellent opportunity for highlighting the SECI Center’s achievements and its role in the fight against transborder crime in Southeast Europe.
At the celebration ceremony, Lt. General Nagy reaffirmed the Republic of Hungary’s commitment to support the regional effort to reduce the criminality in Southeast Europe. “We need effective cooperation to fulfill our challenging mission: fighting transborder organized crime. The SECI Center is extremely important for the region as it offers the common ground for EU and non-EU countries”, the JCC chairman declared. Commissioner Nagy also thanked the Romanian Government for providing exceptional support to the SECI Center.
After 9 years, the SECI Center’s impact to the region is noticeable. “Citizens in the SECI region share same aspirations and ambitions with others in developing a region of freedom, security and justice. In pursuit of these values, nations have historically surrounded themselves with barriers to safeguard their sovereignty. The SECI Center is today guided by the principle of enhancing ways in which member countries’ law enforcement services can co-operate across borders respective to their national policing or criminal justice systems, as the only SEE regional policing organization with a network and with practical facilities for improving operational co-operation and information exchange”, Mitja Močnik, Minister Plenipotentiary, SECI Center Director stated.
The event also celebrated the successful conclusion of the mandate of H.E. Dr. Janos Terenyi, Ambassador of the Republic of Hungary. During his four-year tenure in Bucharest, Ambassador Terenyi has continuously paid special attention to the contribution of his country to the efforts of SECI. For his merits the Hungarian Ambassador has been awarded a ceremonial sword by SECI Center JCC Chairman János Nagy.
The Southeast European Cooperative Initiative Regional Center for Combating Transborder Crime, SECI Center, was established on May the 26th 1999, when twelve states, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro (as it then was), Slovenia and Turkey signed the “Agreement on Cooperation to Prevent and Combat Trans-border Crime”.
The host country of the regional organization is Romania.
The SECI Center is a unique organization in the region that unites police and customs liaison officers from the above mentioned 12 states who work together in direct cooperation, coordinate joint investigations and facilitate information exchange.
Besides the member countries, there are 21 observers, countries and organizations: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, EUBAM, France, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Ukraine, UNDP Romania, the United Kingdom, UNMIK, and the United States of America.
Italy and the United States maintain permanent representation at the SECI Center, and Interpol and the World Customs Organization are permanent (non-resident) advisors to the SECI Center.
