One of the main objectives of the meeting was to acquaint the participants with the implementation of the Exchange Programme, which aims to strengthen cross-border police cooperation and to provide participants with the opportunity to become informed with the working methods of the EU Agencies for Police and Judicial Cooperation in criminal matters.

The participants were informed by the representatives of CEPOL regarding the possibility to attend a study visit to EUROPOL, OLAF and FRONTEX in this year, and about the plan to include the representatives from third countries to the European Exchange Programme. The precondition for collaboration is a signed cooperation agreement between CEPOL and the respective Police Academy from the invited countries. So far, the cooperation agreement has been signed with PA Montenegro and Georgia, the procedures with Albania and Macedonia are ongoing and CEPOL is eager to sign agreements with other countries as well. CEPOL offered a couple possible forms of cooperation such as e-learning, use of common curricula and exchange programmes.

This meeting presents the first step and can be seen as a milestone in the cooperation between CEPOL and non-EU countries.

The second milestone will be the attendance of the Director of CEPOL at the forthcoming Committee of Ministers, which will take place in Brdo pri Kranju on 17 May 2012, where he will inform the respective ministers about the possible cooperation in the near future.