OSCE supports fourth Annual General Meeting of Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network
The fourth Annual General Meeting of the Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) was held with the support of the OSCE between 22 and 24 June 2022 in Budva, Montenegro. The Annual General Meeting brought together 50 participants from 21 jurisdictions, as well as a representative from the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol), to discuss the responsibilities, tasks and powers that constitute an effective asset management agency.
This year’s meeting built upon recommendations from the third Annual General Meeting, where BAMIN members and observers highlighted the need to clarify and document the mandate of an effective asset management office or department. Existing international standards suggest that jurisdictions should establish specialized offices or equivalent mechanisms to ensure the adequate management of sequestrated assets. However, the legal and procedural functions of asset management offices have yet to be recorded.
The event gathered the views of practitioners from the region on what the mandate of an effective asset management office should be. These insights will be then used to develop a guidelines document, which will be disseminated among the BAMIN network.
A Europol representative presented an overview of the draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on asset recovery and confiscation, and a representative from the Belgian Central Office for Seizure and Confiscation outlined the key elements of an effective asset management system.
The OSCE supports BAMIN through its extra-budgetary project Strengthening the fight against transnational organized crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use, a cross-dimensional initiative implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) and the Transnational Threats Department (TNTD). This regional project is financially supported by the United States Department of State, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.