Webinar Project DIVERT – Forgotten weapons? Non-regularised firearms in the European Union.

Date
28/04/2021
9:30 - 10:45

Webinar in Zoom, please register here.

llicit firearms trafficking in the European Union generally involves weapons that were diverted from legal possession into the illicit domain. To improve our understanding of this phenomenon Project DIVERT, co-funded by the European Commission, recently analysed the scope and characteristics of various methods of diversion of firearms, components and ammunition in the European Union.

This webinar will focus on the diversion of firearms, components and ammunition through conflict legacies, illegal inheritance and regulatory changes in the European Union. The findings from Project DIVERT demonstrate that this type of diversion (‘non-regularisation’) is connected to a large quantity of illicitly held weapons across the EU. While non-regularised firearms are mainly possessed by citizens without criminal intentions, the illicit trafficking and criminal misuse of these weapons do occur and can threaten security and peaceful co-existence in EU Member States. In addition to the cross-border trafficking of non-regularised firearms from countries in South-Eastern Europe to criminals in various EU Member States, also other forms of trafficking have been identified.
After a presentation of the findings of Project DIVERT on non-regularised firearms, European experts will reflect upon these findings from a policy, law enforcement and research perspective.

AGENDA

9:30      Welcome
Nils Duquet (Flemish Peace Institute)

9:35      The scope and characteristics of non-regularisation of firearms in the EU
Matteo Dressler (Flemish Peace Institute)

9:55      Illicit trafficking of non-regularised firearms in Europe
Paul James (Arquebus Solutions)

10:05    International and national law enforcement initiatives to combat the trafficking in non-regularisation of firearms
Adriana Toston Diez (Driver EMPACT Firearms) & Lt.Maria Jimenez Victorio (Spanish National Firearms Focal Point)

10:15    EU & national policy to prevent and combat the non-regularisation of firearms
Nils Duquet (Flemish Peace Institute)

10:25    Q&A

10:45    Closure

PRACTICALS

• Wed. 28/04/2021
• Start: 09:30 AM Brussels Time – Duration: +/- 75 min.
• Zoom Webinar – Registration required, please register here.