On 5 July 2024 in Skopje, North Macedonia, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) through its Global Firearms Programme hosted a workshop aimed at strengthening the country's legal framework on firearms offenses. The event gathered key stakeholders, including representatives from law enforcement agencies (customs and police officers), prosecutorial services, the judiciary, and members of the Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) Commission of North Macedonia. The primary focus was the presentation of the initial draft of Commentary on Criminal Offences for Unauthorized Production, Trafficking, and Possession of Firearms in the Macedonian Criminal Code.
This commentary represents a significant milestone in UNODC's ongoing efforts, initiated in 2020, to harmonize Western Balkan jurisdictions' criminal laws with the UN Firearms Protocol. Following recent amendments to the Criminal Code in September 2023, North Macedonia has taken a pioneering role in this harmonization process. The country has not only fully aligned its legislation with the Firearms Protocol but has also become the first European nation to criminalize the possession of technical blueprints for 3D-printed weapons. The rapid and complex legal evolution necessitated additional UNODC support for implementing these new provisions, leading to the development of the current commentary.
During the workshop, participants shared their insights on the draft and expressed a consensus on the commentary's importance. Many attendees underscored the need for targeted training sessions based on the commentary for prosecutors, judges, and law enforcement officers, which UNODC was encouraged to facilitate.
A significant portion of the workshop was dedicated to discussing the challenges in implementing these Criminal Code amendments. This included a focused session on the National Implementation Plan, crafted by UNODC in collaboration with national authorities. Soon to be officially adopted by the Interinstitutional Working Group on Firearms-Related Crime, this plan is supported by a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between customs, prosecution, and police departments. Participants unanimously endorsed the MoU as a robust mechanism for applying the amendments, reinforcing coordinated action against firearms criminality through the Working Group and ongoing cooperation with UNODC.
This activity is implemented with financial support provided by Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Norway through the Western Balkans SALW Control Roadmap Trust Fund and supported by the European Union.
