On 2 December 2022 in Belgrade, Serbia, UNODC Global Firearms Programme (GFP) held an expert group meeting on the harmonization of domestic criminal legislation with the UN Firearms Protocol, between the representatives of North Macedonia (NMKD), Montenegro (MNE), and Serbia (SRB). The meeting gathered 20 participants from the respective Ministries of Justice, Ministries of Interior, and prosecutor’s offices. The aim of the meeting was to review the process achieved by Montenegro and North Macedonia, to share good practices and identify areas for further support for the Serbian authorities.
Pursuant to UNODC GFP’s Gap Analysis reports and comparative analysis reports of trafficking offences in NMKD, MNE, and SRB, the Ministries of Justice formed the working groups for amending and supplementing Criminal Codes and Criminal Procedure Codes. The process advanced to a certain degree within all mentioned jurisdictions, while UNODC GFP findings and suggestions were the foundation for defining relevant firearms-related provisions offences.
The Montenegrin representatives announced that the amendments of the firearms offences in the Criminal Code were finalized and shared with the European Commission for comments. They presented the draft texts and highlighted the areas of harmonization with the offences envisaged in Article 5 of the UN Firearms Protocol. In North Macedonia, the draft Criminal Code was completed and the procedure for its review by the public is ongoing. The Macedonian experts informed about the draft provisions on the criminalization of possession of firearms 3D blue-prints, which follow the best practices in the criminal law to counter the emerging threats in firearms trafficking. Both delegations shared details with the Serbian counterparts about the amendment process and the development of harmonized provisions. The Serbian delegation informed that the current priorities of the Ministry of Justice include the alignment of the legal framework with the amendments of the Constitution, which were adopted this year. Consultations on the harmonization of the firearms offences with the UN Firearms Protocol took place within the relevant institutions and proposals were submitted to the Working Group for consideration. It is expected that the Working Group will review the provided materials, including the drafts prepared by UNODC’s experts, in the Q1 2023.
The participants identified also needs for further UNODC GFP support in the harmonization of both material and procedural criminal legislation, the participation of national authorities in the UNODC’s Review Mechanism for implementing the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its Protocols, and participation in the relevant Conference of the Parties and Working Group on Firearms meetings.
This activity is implemented with financial support provided by Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Norway through the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Trust Fund and supported by the European Union.
