The 21st International Meeting of National Focal Points for CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) for the region of South and South-East Europe has been held in the premises of Serbian Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Security Directorate. This two-day CBRN risk mitigation meeting was held in Belgrade this year and brought together the national focal points from 10 partner regional countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gorgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine.
SRBATOM Director, Sladjan Velinov, together with his colleagues, gave the opening statement and welcomed the guests, which was followed by the presentation of our regulatory body functions and competences. The meeting was a great opportunity to discuss future activities and cooperation in terms of CBRN risk mitigation on national, regional and international level. It also served to reaffirm that the Directorate and the Republic of Serbia remain reliable partners in all future activities and exchange of practice in this area.
The Republic of Serbia is a part of the EU CBRN risk mitigation initiative financed by the European Union and the United Nations, which is jointly implemented by the European Commission and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI).
This annual joint meeting between the EU, UN and ten partner countries together with the UNICRI is a great opportunity to gather all national focal points to explore new possibilities for cooperation and partnership in terms of mitigating CBRN risks, especially having in mind the announced project Enhance the CBRN Critical Infrastructure Protection and Security by the International Science Technology Center (ISTC) in 2024, in which the Republic of Serbia should participate.