Port Holes

Exploring the Maritime Balkan Routes

The Balkans is known as a crossroads for trade, not least for the trafficking of drugs, contraband, people and weapons, and the smuggling of migrants. The traditional ‘Balkan route’ is across land, made up of transport corridors connecting east and west (particularly Turkey with western Europe), as well as north and south (from the Mediterranean to central Europe). Despite the prevalence of trade over land, South Eastern Europe (SEE) also contains more than a hundred ports and 12 container terminals, which are important entry and exit points for trade in the Adriatic, Aegean, Black and Ionian Seas, as well as along the Danube.

The report “Portholes” reveals that there are also maritime Balkan routes bringing drugs into SEE through key commercial seaports: cocaine from Latin America and heroin via Turkey and the Middle East. Other commodities being smuggled along this route include weapons, waste, counterfeit goods and cigarettes. By accompanying the report, this digital tool offers an alternative way to showcase its findings.

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Video

Exploring the maritime Balkan routes of illicit economies

Trade data

Total trade value in SEE

in billion USD in 2010-2020

Values for 2020

Albania( ALB)

- in 2020

Bosnia and Herzegovina( BIH)

- in 2020

Bulgaria( BGR)

- in 2020

Croatia( HRV)

- in 2020

Greece( GRC)

- in 2020

Kosovo( KOS)

- in 2020

North Macedonia( MKD)

- in 2020

Montenegro( MNE)

- in 2020

Romania( ROU)

- in 2020

Serbia( SRB)

- in 2020

Slovenia( SVN)

- in 2020

Total value of imports of SEE countries

in billion USD (2010-2020)

Values for 2020

Albania( ALB)

- in 2020

Bosnia and Herzegovina( BIH)

- in 2020

Bulgaria( BGR)

- in 2020

Croatia( HRV)

- in 2020

Greece( GRC)

- in 2020

Kosovo( KOS)

- in 2020

North Macedonia( MKD)

- in 2020

Montenegro( MNE)

- in 2020

Romania( ROU)

- in 2020

Serbia( SRB)

- in 2020

Slovenia( SVN)

- in 2020

Container port traffic in TEU in SEE

in 2010-2019 (Greece excluded)

Values for 2020

Albania( ALB)

- in 2020

Bulgaria( BGR)

- in 2020

Croatia( HRV)

- in 2020

Greece( GRC)

- in 2020

Montenegro( MNE)

- in 2020

Romania( ROU)

- in 2020

Slovenia( SVN)

- in 2020

Latest analysis from the observatory

Global Initiative Strategy (2024-2026)

New ways to think and act

The Western Balkans is a crossroads for the trafficking of many illicit commodities, and it is a geographical hub for the smuggling of migrants who are trying to enter Western Europe.

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The See Obs

The GI-TOC's Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe is a platform that connects and empowers civil society actors in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The Observatory aims to enable civil society to identify, analyze and map criminal trends, and their impact on illicit flows, governance, development, interethnic relations, security and the rule of law, and supports them in their monitoring of national dynamics and wider regional and international organized-crime trends.

The Observatory was launched as an outcome of the 2018 Western Balkans Summit in London, a part of the Berlin Process.

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