Border Security and Migration Challenges in South East Europe

About This Webinar

Since the end of the Balkans conflict, the western Balkans has become a key hub in the trafficking of drugs and weapons.

In more recent times, the trafficking of human beings has also become big business for the organised crime gangs that operate in the region.

Organized crime groups in the Western Balkans are multiethnic, cross-border, and happy to work with one another. They are also able to operate with minimum risk as conviction rates are low. Borders in the region are often poorly maintained and easily by-passed.

According to a report by Humsec.eu another key factor is the large ethnic Albanian Diaspora has allowed ethnic Albanian rings to emerge as the dominant force in European drugs trafficking and distribution. According to Swiss police estimates, ethnic Albanians control about 80 % of the lucrative heroin market in Switzerland, and raising stakes in other European countries.

Trafficking in drugs, human beings, and weapons – are intertwined, and all three are deeply embedded in the pervasive culture of corruption in the region.

In this webinar we explore the border security and migration challenges affecting South East Europe and the Balkans region.

Who can view: Everyone

Webinar Price: Free

Featured Presenters

Tony Kingham

Editor Border Security Report

Editor of Border Security Report and Director of the World Border Security Congress

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Paul Martin

Senior Police Adviser (Transnational Threats), Public Safety and Community Outreach Department, OSCE – Mission to Skopje

Paul Martin is a career law enforcement investigator and an international expert on police vetting and transnational threats capacity building. He has worked for the OSCE in Bosnia and Herzegovina and North Macedonia for 6 years. Prior to that he worked for the National Crime Agency and its pre-cursor agencies as a senior investigating officer with the tri-powers of a police, customs and immigration officers which he used to investigate, disrupt and dismantle transnational organized crime groups. He has used these skills for capacity building activities especially in the areas of integrated border management; border security; countering transnational organized crime and countering institutional corruption with an emphasis on insider threats, with an emphasis on the Western Balkans. His post graduate studies were in countering fraud and corruption at the University of Portsmouth. He is currently leading the OSCE Mission to Skopje’s Transnational Threats Team.

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Malte Grohmann

Project Co-Ordinator Public Safety and Community Outreach Dept, OSCE – Mission to Skopje

Malte Grohmann is a security and project management professional with extensive experience in the German Police. He worked as a Global Manager for Security Investigations and Operations in the maritime sector and as Law Enforcement Expert for the United Nations Department in New York and various countries and projects in Africa before joining the OSCE Mission to Skopje as Project Coordinator for the project on small arms and light weapons. He was born and grew up in East Germany before commencing his studies in Public Administration at the Hessen State University for Police and Administration. Afterward, he graduated with a master’s degree in security management at the Berlin School for Economics and Law. During his studies, he worked as a team leader in the Special Forces Division at the Police Department Frankfurt am Main with assignments in foreign countries. Mr. Grohmann speaks German, English, and French.

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Sasko Kocev

Director, MARRI RC

Sashko Kocev is Director of Migration Asylum Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI) Regional Centre (RC) in Skopje. Before being appointed Director of MARRI RC in August 2018, Sashko’ s 30+ years of professional development was acquired within the Border Police of North Macedonia. His responsibilities and achievements are linked to the establishment of the Border Police and later, to the development of the Integrated Border Management in North Macedonia. As a Head of a Regional Initiative with mandate in migration and security, Sashko uses the experience in Home Affairs Sector to the improvement of the migration management in the Western Balkans. His extensive knowledge of the EU requirements related to migration, asylum, refuges, and visa policy; as well as his passionate advocacy for increased regional cooperation were repeatedly recognised by the international community.
When not working, Sashko is an enthusiastic outdoorsman and loves spending time bicycling, hiking, and running.

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Almir Kudra

Organized Crime Adviser, OSCE Mission to Skopje

Before coming to North Macedonia was the Head of Operational and Forensic Analysis in Western Sweden, Head of Swedish National Transport Security Unit and preliminary investigation manager. Served as the Head of Investigation unit and Investigator of Serious and Organized Crime.
Internationally
Almir served as an expert in Swedish Police Development Projects in Serbia and Montenegro especially in the field of Intelligence Led Policing and criminal investigations. Participated in Joint Investigation Teams in Europol and International projects at Eurojust.

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Sonja Bozinovska Petrusevska

Head of Mission, IOM Mission to Skopje

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