FIRE - Fighting illicit firearms trafficking routes and actors at European Level

Project FIRE will last 24 months, starting from December 2014. The results will be disseminated through a report which will be presented in an international conference in Brussels.

Project FIRE is structured into 6 work packages (WP).

WP 0 Management and coordination of the project

Objectives
To ensure the exchange of information, feedback, and materials among partners and identify, in case of disputes, solutions to solve possible problems, thereby ensuring the smooth running of the activities.

Duration
24 months

Activities
WP 0 is organised into 6 Activities

0.1 Organisation of the Kick-off meeting
0.2 Organisation of Workshop 1
0.3 Organisation of Workshop 2
0.4 Organisation of Workshop 3
0.5 Organisation of the Final conference
0.6 Financial management of the project

WP 1 Mapping and collection of available information on ITF

Objectives
To identify what information is available on illicit trafficking of firearms (ITF) and what could be collected in future EU initiatives, and to collect, map and organise the available information on it.

Duration
8 months

Activities
WP 1 is organised into 8 Activities

1.1 Review of the literature and of EU regulation
1.2 Interviews with experts
1.3 Collection of data on legal and illegal market
1.4 Collection of case studies
1.5 Collection of estimates on turnover/size of illicit market of arms
1.6 Collection of information from the web
1.7 Organisation of data collected in WP1
1.8 Production of a report

WP 2 Identification and analysis of ITF routes, markets, and actors

Objectives
To identify and analyse illicit firearms trafficking from, to and within Europe with focus on ITF routes (i.e. countries of origin, transit countries, recipient countries, the variables influencing ITF routes), markets (e.g. the role of international fairs of firearms, the role of the Web, etc.) and actors (i.e. the role of organised crime groups, of terrorist groups, etc.).

Duration
10 months

Activities
WP 2 is organised into 5 Activities

2.1 Identification and analysis of illicit trafficking of firearms routes
2.2 Identification and analysis of ITF exchange markets
2.3 Identification and analysis of ITF actors
2.4 Production of deliverables
2.5 Collection of feedback

WP 3 Analysis and crime proofing of the EU regulatory framework on arms trafficking

Objectives
To analyse the EU regulatory framework on arms trafficking and to identify possible loopholes that could generate criminal opportunities and produce a displacement effect of legal trafficking of firearms towards illegal one.

Duration
6 months

Activities
WP 3 is organised into 3 Activities

3.1 Analysis of the EU regulatory framework
3.2 Crime proofing analysis of the legislation
3.3 Production of report

WP 4 Recommendations and best practices against illicit trafficking of firearms

Objectives
To identify a range of best practices and to suggest recommendations to reduce and prevent the illicit trafficking of firearms.

Duration
6 months

Activities
WP 4 is organised into 2 Activities

4.1 Identification of a range of recommendations and best practices
4.2 Production of report

WP 5 Dissemination

Objectives
To present and disseminate the results of Project FIRE, to increase the knowledge on illicit trafficking of firearms at EU level, and to guarantee the visibility of EU funding.