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Hirst, Chrissie, Bernardo Mariani and Adrian Wilkinson. 2004 ‘SALW Transfers - Croatia.’ South Eastern Europe Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) Monitor, 2004, pp. 90-91. Belgrade: South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons / SEESAC and Saferworld. 16 March

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SALW Transfers - Croatia

According to BICC, 'while legal exports of small arms are fairly limited, Croatia has become an important center for illegal trade, with smugglers relying on skills, contact networks and surplus stock built up during the war, and taking advantage of Croatia's geographic location and its ineffective cooperation with the Customs authorities of neighbouring Bosnia and Serbia'.

The 'flourishing black market in military hardware' in the countries of the former Yugoslavia is, according to Jane's analysts, controlled largely by the Croatian and Albanian mafia, who utilise the 'porous' border with Bosnia and Herzegovina and the many small ports along the Croatian coast to ship illegal weapons across the Adriatic to Italy.

The long border with Bosnia and Croatia's rugged and islanded coast present real logistical challenges to combating trafficking and, 'Croatian territory has been highlighted as a place where arms smugglers operate with few constraints - even transiting illegal arms shipments "under the guise of humanitarian aid deliveries"'.

[SALW = Small arms and light weapons; BICC = Bonn International Center for Conversion]

ID: Q4035

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