Ljubljana, Slovenia – The 19th meeting of the PCC SEE statutory body - the Expert Working Group (EWG) composed of nominated national representatives of the PCC SEE Contracting Parties - took place on 13 and 14 February 2018, under the auspices of the Slovenian PCC SEE Chairmanship-in-Office and in co-organisation with the PCC SEE Secretariat.  

The EWG members reviewed the developments in the implementation of the action plans for the five PCC SEE core clusters - data protection, information exchange, operational cooperation, countering terrorism and automated exchange of data, which represent the new alignment in the PCC SEE implementation process - the PCC SEE Plus. They endorsed the timeframe for the two informal and the official negotiation rounds of the EU Prüm-inspired framework for automated exchange of data in the PCC SEE region, endorsed the criminal intelligence project for data exchange in the area of CT and P-CVE, and also supported the Slovenian initiative to enhance operational cooperation among the Contracting Parties, which is to be the main topic of discussion at the the upcoming 18th meeting of the PCC SEE Committee of Ministers on 15 March 2018 in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia.

The EWG members were familiarised with the most recent developments in the Integrative Internal Security Governance (IISG) in the Western Balkans, including the finalisation of the Integrative Plans of Action for the three IISG Pillars, which will be presented for formal endorsement by the IISG Board on 16 March 2018 in Brdo pri Kranju. The PCC SEE Secretariat also used this opportunity to present the activities and plans in its capacity as Lead Partner of the IISG Pillar Western Balkans Counter-Serious Crime Initiative (WBCSCi).