A meeting of heads of SPOCs (Single Points of Contact for international police cooperation) took place in Dublin, Ireland, on 8-9 October, 2026. The meeting focused on exchanging experiences and best practices regarding the implementation of EU Directive 2023/977 on information exchange between law enforcement authorities of European Union Member States.
On behalf of the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kristina Jozić, Acting Assistant Director for the Sector for International Operational Police Cooperation, participated in the meeting, that was held on 9 October, which brought together representatives from Western Balkan countries.
The meeting was organized under the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and hosted by the Irish national police force, An Garda Síochána. The participation of representatives from Western Balkan countries was supported through the EU4FAST project, an EU initiative aimed at strengthening the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking in the Western Balkans.
This is a regular periodic meeting organized by an EU Member State during its presidency, aimed at enhancing the implementation of the EU Directive on information exchange. These meetings provide an opportunity to share information on implementation progress as well as the challenges member states face in applying the Directive.
In addition to representatives from EU Member States, representatives from Europol, INTERPOL, and CEPOL also delivered presentations. The exchange of experiences and the presentation of European practices are of particular importance to Western Balkan countries with candidate status, given the need to timely align international police cooperation with European standards.
During the meeting, Kristina Jozić gave a presentation outlining the system of international operational police cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the role and work of the Directorate’s Sector for International Operational Police Cooperation, which serves as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On this occasion, the current situation in this field was presented, along with activities aimed at enhancing international operational police cooperation and the challenges Bosnia and Herzegovina faces in the further development of this aspect of police operations.
The Directorate’s participation in this meeting offered an opportunity to exchange experiences with European partners, strengthen professional contacts, and improve cooperation in the field of international operational police cooperation, with a particular focus on aligning procedures with relevant European Union standards.
The meeting also facilitated direct networking among SPOC managers from European countries, further contributing to the development of more efficient mechanisms for international police cooperation.