Safety in Transition Countries From Aspect of Free Zones

Abstract

Free Zone is a part of the territory of a country, provided with its own special fence and within which economic and other activities are being performed under the guaranteed benefits and facilities. Because of its specific way of running the business, free zone can be deemed as social safety (legal and individual) since it means employment, production, salaries, better capital and new technologies flow, faster Foreign Direct Investment inflow, regional development..., and in this sense, too, a state is willing to develop free zones. However, on the other side, free zones may serve in transition countries as an area suitable for committing offences. That is why they should be kept "under the control". The practice proved that the need for establishing free zones in the EU countries were insignificant, since for the most part, they carry out trade arrangements among themselves. Within the European Union there are free warehouses and free trade zones, which are mainly designed for the cooperation with overseas countries. EU developed a wide range of institutional mechanisms: legislative, institutions as well as the mechanisms for fulfilling liabilities known as "European Rules", profiled politics of "regional access", White Book, "Eastern strategies", EU with profiled subregions among which is the South-East Europe are only a part of the transition "European game". In the negotiations on Stabilization and Accession Agreement between the transition countries and Union there is a transitional period which differs from country to country and within which, free zones may continue with their activities. After that period and upon satisfying specific rules respecting EU standards, they should be functioning as EU Free Trade Zones. So, in that transitional period it is priority to conform the legislative of the free zones in transition countries, so as to avoid creation of possibilities for non-allowed actions (malversation with local goods, misuse of carnet, fictive export, import and transit, smuggling, computer criminal acts, laundering, certain off-shore banking transactions, avoiding of customs supervision measures etc.) Because of all the above mentioned, the free zone activity in transition countries should be put under corresponding supervision, so as to ensure safety in these countries.