Deadline: 23-Nov-21
The European Commission has announced a call for proposals for the Fight against firearms trafficking.
Firearms are the lifeblood of organised crime in Europe as well as worldwide. Firearms trafficking is a big enabler of organised crime and terrorism.
It is a high-time to fix a new agenda by:
- Analyzing possibilities for safeguarding the legal market and preventing diversion, notably by developing technological solutions for addressing new threats such as 3D printed firearms, including distribution of blueprints for 3D printing of firearms, clamping of 3D printing machines and of blueprints, and their sale both offline and online (including darknet);
- Improving the intelligence picture in firearms trafficking, in particular by developing technological solutions to enable simultaneous searches/input in the Schengen Information System and Interpol’s iArms database, developing solutions to facilitate and approximate a systematic collection on data on all firearms seizures, and developing a European-level tool tracking in real-time all firearms-related incidents or shootings and extracting continuously updated data;
- Increasing knowledge on the legal limitations and room for improvement in police and judicial cooperation in the field of firearms trafficking, developing tools to enable automated cross-border exchange of ballistics information, and exploring how new and emerging approaches (such as, but not limited to, Artificial Intelligence) could help improve automated detection of firearms and firearms components through scanning of parcels and containers;
- Improving international cooperation by supporting operational cooperation between the Police Authorities and other relevant security practitioners of the EU and of third countries.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Projects results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
- Contribution to the implementation of the 2020-2024 EU Action Plan on firearms trafficking;
- Improved intelligence picture of firearms trafficking in Europe, modus operandi of such criminal organisations, both offline and online;
- European Police Authorities, Customs and Border Guards Authorities, as well as forensics specialists and prosecutors benefit from modern and validated tools, skills and training curricula (including on the lawful court-proof collection of crime evidence) to tackle criminal activities related to firearms trafficking;
- Harmonised procedures in the investigation of trans-border crimes in full compliance with applicable legislation on protection of personal data;
- Improved cooperation between European Police and Border Guards Authorities, as well as with international actors, in tackling this form of crime;
- Strengthened ability of security practitioners to identify organised crime networks involved in firearms trafficking in an early stage;
- Reduced diversion of firearms into criminal hands in Europe;
- Enhanced ability of security practitioners to prevent the emergence of organised crime networks involved in firearms trafficking, and respond to the threat of existing organisations;
- Improved shaping and tuning of regulation related to the fight against firearms trafficking by security policy-makers.
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3Aw92uW