The Balkan Asset Management Interagency Network (BAMIN) held its first Steering Group Meeting of the year, on the 12^th of February 2019, in Podgorica, Montenegro. The meeting was attended by the BAMIN Steering Group representatives from Bosnia & Herzegovina (BiH), Montenegro, Macedonia, BAMIN Secretariat and representatives from the OSCE, which sponsored the organization of the event. BAMIN Steering Group meetings are held regularly to ensure that BAMIN is achieving its network objectives and to discuss preparations for the BAMIN Annual General Meeting, which this year will be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

The meeting also served as a platform for the formal hand-over of the BAMIN Presidency for 2019. Mr. Faton Asani from the Macedonian Agency for Management of Seized and Confiscated Property formally handed the Presidency of BAMIN to Mr. Kenan Kapo, Federal Agency for the Management of Seized Property, and to Ms. Svjetlana Kusić, Seized Asset Management Agency of Republic of Srpska.

Regarding BAMIN membership, it was confirmed that Ukraine and Moldova have joined as Observer Members, bringing the total number of jurisdictions and organizations that have joined BAMIN to eleven. During the meeting, interest in BAMIN from the asset management agencies of Romania, Bulgaria and Czech Republic, as well as the Italian organization Libera was discussed. It was agreed to offer membership to these interested partners should they wish to join the network. The Steering Group also discussed other jurisdictions that may be invited to join BAMIN.

Finally, it was agreed that the repository section of the BAMIN website which will contain relevant regional and international laws on asset management, as well as information relating to the laws and institutions of each BAMIN member, would be prepared in time for the AGM 2019. The BAMIN Questionnaire analysis document, finalized in January 2019 by the Secretariat, will also be made available on the private area of BAMIN website, for all its Members.

The BAMIN SG confirmed the planning for implementation of the Annual General Meeting in BiH, tentatively in the second half of June 2019. The topics that will be discussed at the AGM will be finalized in the month of March 2019 and shared with Members for preparatory work. The AGM 2019 foresees the presence of altogether sixty participants, coming from over twelve jurisdictions located in the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe and EU Member States.