The first Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) Steering Group meeting of the year took place in Tirana on the 12th and 13th of February 2020. The event was hosted by the Albanian Agency for Seized and Confiscated Assets.

Director Svetlana Kusić, Seized Asset Management Agency of the Republic of Srpska and Director Vinko Jakic, Federal Agency for the Management of Seized Property formally handed over the BAMIN Presidency to Mr. Emir Dacić, Deputy Director, State Property Agency, Montenegro. The Steering Group comprises the previous (Bosnia and Herzegovina), current (Montenegro), and next year’s presidency (Albania), taking key decisions on BAMIN’s priorities and work programme.

At its sixth year of life, the Network is still growing and willing to include new members. As emerged from the meeting, the key topics for the year are the expansion of the Network’s membership, developing new activities for 2020, including mentorship and joint training. Furthermore, considering the recognised importance of Asset Management within the Asset Recovery process, BAMIN’s involvement in the Global Asset Recovery network is deemed necessary.

BAMIN will aim to achieve the following for 2020:

• One SGM in (February) and one the day prior to the AGM in June;
• The AGM to be held in Montenegro in June;
• Produce a BAMIN promotional video;
• Launch the secure section of the website;
  
• One joint training to be held in November in Croatia;
• Mentoring sessions.

BAMIN is now entering a new stage of growth with the OSCE supporting the Network through the extra-budgetary project “Strengthening the fight against transnational crime in South-Eastern Europe through improved regional co-operation in asset seizure, confiscation, management and re-use”.