EUPM HOSTS 15 EU JOURNALISTS

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (November 13,2007) - The EUropean Union Police Mission in Bosnia is currently hosting 15 journalists from across the European Union. They arrived in Bosnia on 11 November and will stay until 16 November.

In a wish to bring Bosnia back to the spotlight of international and especially EU media, the visit will present EUPM's activities and highlight achievements regarding security-related topics.

EUPM’s Press and Public Information Department organised a comprehensive programme covering issues such as organised crime, cross-border cooperation on human smuggling and relations between police and prosecutors.

The journalists will be provided with a series of presentations by experts in the domains of crisis management, war crimes investigations, international organised crime, immigration, smuggling, counterfeiting and border control.

In order to get a clear picture of how the EU actors coordinate their crisis management peace-making and institution-building efforts in Bosnia, the journalists will meet with Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer, EUFOR Commander, Ambassador Dimitris Kourkoulas, Head of the EC Delegation, and Boris Ruge, Head of the Political Department of the Office of the EU Special Representative/High Representative in Bosnia Miroslav Lajcak.

They will also visit several law enforcement agencies throughout Bosnia, such as SIPA’s Special Support Unit Base,the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior, the Sarajevo Canton Prosecutor’s Office, the Mostar Ministry of Interior, the Public Security Centre in Trebinje and a Border Police Station in the vicinity of Trebinje.