On 21–22 January 2026, the ARIEN consortium gathered in Ljubljana for the 6th General Assembly, kindly hosted by Pošta Slovenije. The meeting marked a key milestone as the project advances toward operational validation and real-world deployment of its AI solutions.

The Assembly provided a valuable opportunity to review the outcomes of the first round of trainings and pilot activities; align on upcoming technical milestones; officially launch tool testing under Pilot 2; and strengthen coordination as ARIEN enters a more intensive testing phase.

As ARIEN progresses, the focus is increasingly on validating AI tools in real operational environments, ensuring that innovation translates into measurable operational impact for Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs).

The two-day meeting was characterized by productive discussions, knowledge exchange, and strong engagement from all partners. The collaborative spirit demonstrated throughout the sessions reflects the consortium’s shared commitment to advancing AI-driven solutions to combat illicit drug production and trafficking.