Creation
MEPA was created in 1992 at the initiative of Austria and Hungary. In 1993 the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Slovenia joined. Germany entered in 1994 and Switzerland in 1996. On 22 May 2001, ministers of the interior of the aforementioned states signed a joint statement on cooperation within the Central European Police Academy (Mitteleuropäische Polizeiakademie - MEPA). This year, MEPA marked its 15th anniversary.
Goals
MEPA promotes cross-border and international police cooperation by:
- communicating, disseminating and deepening knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for the management of police missions;
- passing on know-how concerning legal and organisational conditions, practical possibilities, police investigation methods and strategies;
- forwarding its knowledge of social, economic, political and cultural background, as well as know-how concerning links among particularly dangerous forms or criminality (notably organised crime, terrorism, economic and environmental crime);
- establishing personal contacts which create mutual trust and eliminate prejudice and obstacles in communication.
The working language of MEPA is German.
Decision-making and operation
The highest authority of MEPA is the Board of Directors, which decides on matters of fundamental importance, approves the annual activities and decides on financial issues. The Board of Trustees is responsible for designing the programme of annual activities, overseeing training activities and coordinating the content of the activities. The Central Bureau of Coordination has its seat at the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Austria. Each country also has its own contact point. The Police Academy acts as the contact point for Slovenia.
MEPA activities
Each year, MEPA organises its Annual Course, which lasts three months. Slovenia annually hosts one week of the Course, as part of its organisation. During the past 15 years, the number of participants in the Course has risen to around 500. The cooperation and mutual acquaintances have contributed to resolving a number of acts of international crime.
The specialist Border Police Course played an important role during the preparations of the new Member States for EU entry and the enlargement of the Schengen border. The course lasts one month, one week of which takes place in Slovenia every other year.
Given the current needs in the areas of organised crime and joint border surveillance, MEPA annually organises brief seminars which are primarily intended for those who have completed both of the aforementioned courses, as well as other specialists relative to their field of work.
Since 1993 the Slovenian Police has actively participated in all the activities of MEPA. Each year, two participants take part in the Annual Course and three in the specialist Border Police Course, while participation in the seminars is planned according to the topicality of the content and our own needs.
Activities within MEPA are planned annually in the training catalogue.
MEPA also issues a bulletin and various seminar materials and educational publications, some of which are available at its website, www.mepa.net.
In the future, the development of MEPA will be furthered by the POLIZEI-ONLINE/MEPA-ONLINE project which is funded through the AGIS Programme and the private partnership between the Baden-WĂĽrttemberg Police and Deutsche Telekom. The MEPA website is expected to offer direct access to various expert materials and information, to facilitate the exchange of opinions and experiences of police officers from the MEPA member states, to provide for registering for seminars, and to offer various electronic addresses. The system will include a glossary of terminology in all languages of MEPA member states, as well as a number of e-learning programmes.
Address:
Zentrales KoordinationsbĂĽro der MEPA
Bundesministerium fĂĽr Inneres
Abteilung II/5-Sicherheitsakademie
Herrengasse 7
A-1014 Wien
0043 1 53126/4854
www.mepa.net