EU, Western Balkans Discuss Cooperation against Organized Crime

At the November 17, 2006 EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs, Kari Rajamäki, Finnish Minister of the Interior, underscored the need for Western Balkans countries to increase their regional cooperation to combat organized crime. At the meeting, which took place in Tirana, Albania, Rajamäki also urged EU countries to deepen cooperation with their Western Balkan counterparts, noting that organized crime in the EU countries is closely linked with organized crime in the Western Balkans.