ZAGREB, 9 May 2022 - In 2021 the Customs Administration filed 140 criminal complaints for the gravest forms of smuggling on the EU's external borders, the director of the Customs Administration, Mario Demirović, said on Monday on the occasion of the procurement of new equipment worth HRK 7.5 million.
Demirović specified that the Customs Administration issues about 12,700 misdemeanour warrants each year and that 60% of them refer to offences recorded on external borders. He added that in 2021, 80% more warrants were issued than in 2020 and the value of the fines issued in 2021 was up 40% compared with 2020.
''That means that our external border is subject to exceptional traffic pressure and that means our responsibility to ensure that the traffic flows undisturbed," said Demirović, presenting the HRK 7.5 million equipment procured through the EU Hercule III programme, with HRK 4.8 million secured from EU funds.
The programme protects the EU's financial interests by supporting action to combat irregularities, fraud and corruption affecting the EU budget. It was administered by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). It was valued at €104 million and was exclusively used for the financial capacities of the 28 member states over a seven-year period.
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