On 16 May, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, are hosting a high-level ministerial conference on the implementation of the Regional Roadmap for comprehensive Small Arms and Light Weapons control in the Western Balkans. Gunnar Strömmer, Minister of Justice of Sweden, is participating on behalf of the Presidency of the Council. The conference is attended by ministers of interior and/or foreign affairs of the EU and of Western Balkan partners, as well as by international and regional organisations and several other non-EU countries.

The conference is an important opportunity to discuss the possible continuation of the Regional Roadmap beyond 2024 and how the EU will continue to support the Western Balkan partners in their efforts to improve the comprehensive control of firearms in the region.

Cooperation with the Western Balkans on small arms and light weapons is an important element of the EU’s strong engagement on security with the region. The Regional Roadmap is part of the EU Action Plan on Firearms trafficking 2020-2025for South East Europe. It was signed by the Western Balkan partners in 2018. It runs until 2024 and has seven specific goals to improve comprehensive control of small arms and light weapons in the region.

All six Western Balkans partners are successfully implementing the Roadmap, they have now effective strategies in place for the control of firearms, and have also adapted their national legislation to harmonise it with EU legislation.