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Project lead: CEPOL

Partnership against Crime and Terrorism project in the Western Balkans

The Partnership against Crime and Terrorism project in the Western Balkans (WB PaCT) aims to enhance the capacities of authorities in the Western Balkans to fight organised crime and terrorism including preventing and countering violent extremism by enhancing cooperation within the region and with the EU.

Context

CEPOL and EUROPOL have been playing a central role in the management and implementation of the EU Policy Cycle, which seeks to tackle the most important threats posed to the European Union by organised and serious international crime through improving and strengthening cooperation between the EU and third countries.

While EUROPOL leads on the management and implementation of the EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats) mechanism and its Operational Action Plans, CEPOL leads the development and the delivery of the related training activities.

In this context, CEPOL’s evidence-based approach to training needs assessment, together with the flexibility and multiplayer level of its training portfolio, ensures that the WB PaCT project is an ideal vehicle to take the training partnership with the Western Balkans region to the next level.

Specific objectives

Under the WB PaCT project, and in partnership with EUROPOL, CEPOL aims to achieve the following objectives:

Enhance Western Balkans authorities’ knowledge about concrete law enforcement performance gaps that limit cooperation within the region and with the EU;
Improve the capability of the Western Balkans authorities to respond to performance gaps;
Strengthen Western Balkans cooperation with CEPOL

Components

The project is articulated in 3 main components:

1. Enhancement of regional networks

The focus of this component is to put in place and sustain a Capacity Building Network composed of Capacity Building Single Points of Contact (CAPASPOC) and an Analysis Network composed of Analysis Single Points of Contact (ANASPOC). These Networks will further strengthen the strategic coordination, enhance interlinks and increase the project beneficiaries ownership over the project activities and their outcomes.

In this view, Strategic Cooperation Forums (SCF) will take place to provide a unique opportunity for the EU Member States, EU institutions and agencies and our partners to come together and discuss issues of strategic importance.

2. Operational Training Needs Assessment (OTNA) and curriculum development

The Operational Training Needs Assessment (OTNA) refers to the analysis of training needs of a specific target group in terms of thematic areas, quantity and quality of needed training activities. The OTNA will be composed of 5 steps: preparation, data collection and analysis, OTNA report, OTNA validation and design missions, design and delivery of portfolio.

Within the framework of the WB PaCT project, CEPOL aims to support a sustainable law enforcement training system through a structured, thought-through process that addresses strategic priorities and then cascades them into concrete training initiatives that can sustain enhanced operational effectiveness.

Through this component CEPOL will implement an OTNA with the beneficiaries. CEPOL will:

Initiate synergies among different operational units when self-identifying training needs;
Facilitate a framework of closer and more structured collaboration among training institutions and operational units;
Introduce of a methodology for the production of a regional template that can be adapted to the beneficiaries’ particular needs and specific environment.

While the design and delivery of training activities is foreseen by the OTNA methodology, this activity will not be the main focus of the project. However, upon completion of the OTNA validation and design missions, CEPOL will present a proposal regarding the prioritised training activities that could be implemented, under component 3.

3. Implementation of emerging needs training

This project component will focus on providing emerging needs training upon request of the beneficiaries and in close coordination with DG NEAR of the European Commission.

EUROPOL will have an advisory role towards CEPOL and the project beneficiaries. In particular, EUROPOL will facilitate the exchange of strategic analysis material and best practices and will therefore enhance the ANASPOC’s knowledge through a dedicated e-platform. In addition, it will support the identification and development of training content related to the EMPACT priorities and provide advice on the OTNA.