EU and UK support: Confiscated cigarettes to be destroyed by summer

By establishing the Coordination Body for the inventory of seized goods in the Port of Bar Free Zone, the Government has demonstrated strong political will to address the significant issue of confiscated cigarettes.

This was the outcome of the meeting between Prime Minister Milojko Spajić, Deputy Prime Minister for Political System, Judiciary, and Anti-Corruption Momo Koprivica, with Deputy Head of the Political Affairs, Press, and Information Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro Laura Zampetti, British Ambassador Dawn McKen, and her team.

The complexity of the entire situation was discussed during the meeting, with the inventory of confiscated cigarettes identified as the initial step to be taken.

Our desire is to resolve this matter so that there are no more confiscated cigarettes in the Port of Bar Free Zone. With your assistance, we aim to make the entire process more transparent and efficient. The inventory of cigarettes must be conducted differently this time, ensuring identification of owners and adherence to expiry dates, a step overlooked in 2022, emphasised Prime Minister Spajić.

International partners are prepared to provide financial and expert support to effectively reach a resolution.

On behalf of the European Union, we are pleased to see progress in this significant area. The European Commission has already offered assistance in the process of destroying confiscated cigarettes. This issue has been relevant for some time, and we understand the complexity of the situation. Therefore, we believe that the establishment of the Coordination Body for inventorying and destroying seized illegal cigarettes is an important step towards addressing legality issues in the Free Zone of the Port of Bar, highlighted Deputy Head of the Political Affairs, Press, and Information Section at the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro Laura Zampetti.

The establishment of this body sends a strong message, not only to the international community but also to citizens, to begin trusting institutions. Cigarette smuggling has caused economic damage and had political and institutional implications, as numerous high-ranking officials have been prosecuted in the past for suspicions of involvement in illegal activities. By establishing this body, we have created a legal basis to have full capacity to address this issue, emphasised Deputy Prime Minister Koprivica.

It was emphasised that an effective response to this problem could be crucial from the perspective of overall security at the Port of Bar. By regulating the Free Zone, the first step would also be taken towards the valorization of the port.

The solution to the security issue will certainly impact the credibility of the Port of Bar. I believe it is key to its further economic growth. What is done for the Free Zone will affect the future of the Port of Bar, so we want to focus and successfully resolve this security-related matter, emphasised British Ambassador McKen.

During the discussions, the Free Zones Law, which has not been amended since 2009, was also addressed. The importance of efficiently completing work on new legislative solutions was underscored. It is also a priority to ensure better supervision in the Free Zone, which should be achieved through the use of video technology and the digitization of data management systems.