Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC)
The Southeast European Law Enforcement Center (SELEC) is an international law enforcement organization established by an agreement that unites the resources and expertise of police and customs services, combining their efforts for more effective combat against cross-border organized crime in the region.
As the successor of the SECI Center established in 1999, SELEC supports its 11 member countries and strengthens coordination in the prevention and fight against crime, including transnational organized and serious crime.
The founding document of SELEC is the Convention on the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center, which entered into force on October 7, 2011, the date when the SECI Center became SELEC, transferring its operational and strategic capacities to SELEC.
The eleven SELEC member countries are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey.
Besides the 11 member countries, SELEC has 25 partner countries and organizations (Interpol, USA, Italy, United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia as operational partners; Austria, Belgium, Belarus, Czech Republic, EUBAM, France, GCC-CIC, Georgia, Germany, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Japan, Israel, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, UNODC, UNMiK, WCO as observers) and has established numerous partnerships with various organizations as well as the private sector.
SELEC’s operational activities are mainly conducted within eight operational groups that address issues related to drug and human trafficking, stolen vehicles, smuggling and customs fraud, financial and cybercrime, terrorism, container security, and environmental crime.
To provide constant support to its member countries, SELEC offers multinational expertise to law enforcement agencies in Southeast Europe, providing the necessary platform for information exchange and requests for assistance through liaison officers of the member countries stationed at SELEC’s headquarters, support for operational meetings, joint investigations, regional operations, and delivery of quality analytical products (e.g., OCTA SEE).
To facilitate and accelerate cooperation in investigations related to serious cross-border crime in Southeast Europe, complementing the work of police and customs, since 2003 under the auspices of SELEC operates the Southeast European Prosecutors Advisory Group (SEEPAG), a network of experienced prosecutors who establish international cooperation in criminal matters.
SELEC also provides a training platform, with a fully equipped Training Center located at its headquarters on the tenth floor of the Parliament Palace in Romania.
In 2019, SELEC made available to its member countries an Operational Center Unit equipped with state-of-the-art technology, aiming to strengthen the operational capacities of law enforcement agencies combating illegal trade by increasing mobility and improving information gathering capacities from member countries.
In 2020, despite the COVID-19 crisis, following the latest IT advances, SELEC established a new IT information exchange system – SIRAT, a cutting-edge technology enabling fast and secure exchange of information both within SELEC and among member countries during their operational communication.
It is significant to note that one of the three managerial positions at SELEC is held by a representative from the Republic of North Macedonia, confirming our commitment to developing a serious partnership approach in the region and beyond.