Croatia: ICITAP Partners with Interagency and Croatian Law Enforcement to Deliver Environmental Organized Crime and Corruption Training

From April 1 to 5, the U.S. Embassy Zagreb and ICITAP-Croatia, in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Interior’s Police Academy implemented a week-long training Environmental Organized Crime and Corruption in Opatija. The training was tailored for Western Balkan Police Departments, Customs Agencies, and Prosecutor Offices (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). This is the first Partnership for Education (PFE) training addressing environmental organized crime and corruption, which is becoming one of the most lucrative areas for criminal enterprises operating regionally and globally. With 14 instructors, coming from the U.S. Department of Justice's Environmental Crime Section, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Croatian Ministry of Interior, Croatian Customs, Croatian State Attorney’s Office, and Croatian State Inspectorate, this training also holds record on number of instructors and agencies supporting a PFE training. This training equipped participants with comprehensive knowledge and practical strategies to address the growing challenges posed by criminal activities in environmental sectors. Participants were engaged in interactive sessions, discussions, and case studies, led by subject matter experts from the U.S. and Croatia. The significant interest expressed by multiple U.S. federal agencies to participate, even self-sponsored, underscores the importance of addressing environmental organized crime and corruption, and highlights the urgent need for collaborative efforts to combat these pressing global challenges. This training marks a turning point for stakeholders in an attempt to enhance their understanding and capacity to combat environmental crime and corruption effectively. The Croatian Minister of Interior provided remarks at the closing ceremony.