Network Structure and Functioning
The CARIN permanent Secretariat is based at Europol Headquarters in the Hague. CARIN members meet together regularly at an Annual General Meeting (AGM). Access to the CARIN network and its website is restricted only to members of the network. The organisation is governed by a Steering Group of nine members and a rotating Presidency.
The Presidency for 2018 is held by Poland. In 2019, the Presidency will pass to Romania.
Steering Group
CARIN has a Steering Group consisting of up to nine members, from which one member is elected President. The Steering Group period runs from 1 January each year and concludes on 31 December. Membership of the Steering Group rotates periodically with up to three members offering to stand down each year to enable other Members to join the Steering Group. If the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacancies a vote of all Members is taken.
The Steering Group oversees the administration of the network, receives applications for membership and observer status and decides if a state, jurisdiction or 3rd party meets the criteria for membership. Europol and Eurojust have permanent observer status in the Steering Group. The Steering Group may establish working groups to examine and report on legal and practical issues. The Steering Group also assists in the preparation of the annual conference agenda and identifies areas for consideration at plenary meetings.
In 2018 the CARIN Steering Group Member jurisdictions are Belgium, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the UK. For contact details, click here.
2018 Presidency & AGM: Poland - “CARIN in POLe position”
140 practitioners from all over the world took part in the 2018 CARIN Annual General Meeting, entitled “CARIN in POLe position”, which was held in Warsaw from 23 to 25 May 2018. The event was funded by the direct grant awarded to CARIN from European Union’s Internal Security Fund-Police. The coordinator and co-beneficiary of this grant is Sweden.
During the last AGM in Stockholm, we discussed how CARIN should increase its effectiveness. We identified 4 strategic areas in which we should concentrate our efforts in the immediate future. The AGM in Warsaw tried to answer some of the CARIN contact points’ expectations on secure communication, covering white-spot areas, continuous learning and the exchange of best practices.
The first day of the conference was devoted to existing secure information exchange channels and possible informal methods of contact which may support formal requests related to asset recovery. Moreover, we discussed challenges facing Law Enforcement and Prosecution Services in the identification and confiscation of illegally held assets and proceeds of crime in the regions of China, Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore.
The following day participants had the opportunity to take part in challenging workshops. We acted as a money launderer and tried to hide assets in the way which is untraceable for law enforcement. It is believed that this exercise will help CARIN contact points to improve methods they regularly use in investigations.
On the last day, we were informed about new AROs settled in Moldova, Andorra and Kazakhstan, as well as shared best practices with other ARINs as we are convinced that the exchange of information and good practice should contribute to our effectiveness in tracing and seizing assets in their regions.
The outcomes will be transferred into practical recommendations for consideration by law enforcement and judicial agencies working in the area of asset recovery. The results of the conference will be disseminated to the EU Commission, other relevant organisations and bodies, and all participants.
The Polish Presidency herby would like to express thankfulness to all the speakers and participants of the AGM. The presentations from the event can be found on the Europol FCIC web.
For information on past AGMs please click here.
