Written question asked by Lord Astor of Hever (Conservative), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Triesman (Labour) on Wednesday, 16 May 2007.

Kosovo

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment they have made of the likely impact the creation of an independent Kosovo would have on international organised crime within its frontiers.

Answer: Organised crime networks in Europe, as elsewhere in the world, have become global. South-eastern Europe and the western Balkans are far from immune, not least because of the region's strategic location on the traditional heroin trafficking route from central Asia to Europe, as well as the widespread economic deprivation throughout the region. Networks of organised crime traverse the Balkans. They have expanded from narcotics trafficking into human trafficking, human smuggling, counterfeit currency production, cigarette smuggling and trade in other illicit materials such as pirated CDs and DVDs. These problems are common to all the countries of the region. Kosovo's provisional institutions of self-government and police force, with the support of the international community, are working to combat organised crime. We are confident that these efforts will be maintained and intensified following implementation of a status settlement in Kosovo. Indeed, clarity over its status will help Kosovo develop the modern and robust police, immigration services, border controls and customs procedures it needs successfully to deal with these problems, as well as to start to make progress on long term economic development.

Secondary information