site.btaInternational Forum on Countering Transnational Crime Concludes in Burgas

The Bulgarian prosecution service hosted an international conference titled "Exchange of Experience and Good Practices for Countering Transnational Crime, Cybercrime and Money Laundering", which took place in Burgas between May 30 and June 1, 2023. The forum was attended by prosecutors from Ukraine, Moldova, Turkiye, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Romania, as well as representatives of the US Department of Energy.

The Bulgarian representatives included Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev, Deputy Prosecutor General at the Supreme Administrative Prosecutor's Office Desislava Pironeva, the Prosecutor General's Spokesperson Siyka Mileva, and head of the Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office International Department Tsvetomir Yosifov.

On the third day of the conference, prosecutors from Romania presented the local legislative framework in the field of cybercrime and transnational crime, as well as the specificities of the Romanian law enforcement system in the field of drug trafficking and online crime.

The participants focused on trends in international cooperation and the challenges for national systems to tackle cross-border crime. Emphasis was placed on several types of crime that Eastern European and Central Asian countries are tackling together. These included countering the sexual exploitation of children in virtual space, war crimes in the context of the war in Ukraine, migrant trafficking, digital crimes, illegal cross-border trafficking of radioactive materials.

Mobile equipment meant to tackle cross-border trafficking of radioactive materials was presented at the forum. The equipment was provided by the US Department of Energy to the General Directorate Border Police under a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two countries.

Prosecutor Lyubomir Petrov said: "The achievements of the Bulgarian security services in the face of the General Directorate Border Police, Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry, Fire Safety and Civil Protection General Directorate, Nuclear Regulatory Agency, Regional Health Inspectorate, working in sync, minimize the risk of transnational trafficking of nuclear materials and thus, as far as Bulgaria is an external border, protect the lives and health of European citizens. Achieving this synergy is a prerequisite for tackling other crimes as well".