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"First of all, each member state, including Lithuania, should take measures itself to curb the informal economy, and I believe that Lithuania has adopted sufficiently ambitious plans in this area. The EU's position here is to help, thus, we have started paying more attention to eastern borders. Currently, a special plan on the protection of eastern borders is being drafted," Semeta, who is responsible for taxation, customs, antifraud and audit in the European Commission, said on Friday.

The EU's active efforts to prevent the expansion of the black market are also evident in a large number of operations held in cooperation with the European Anti-fraud Office, the EU commissioner said. With a help of the OLAF, large flows of smuggled cigarettes were detained at a Lithuanian border some time ago, Semeta added.

According to the commissioner, it is very important to improve the management of EU eastern borders on an equal level in all the member states, because smugglers will always take the advantage of the most vulnerable spots at borders, writes LETA/ELTA

"A lot of emphasis is also laid on the coordination of the activities of intelligence agencies, exchange of information between departments. The issue of sanctions is also relevant. The member states near eastern borders apply different sanctions, thus, smugglers will seek ways to deal with the protection of the borders of one or another country," Semeta said.

On Friday, Prime Minister of Lithuania Andrius Kubilius took part in the work meeting of the Commission for the Fight against Smuggling. The meeting was attended by EU Commissioner Algirdas Semeta, responsible for taxation, customs, antifraud and audit.

The commission paid most attention to tobacco and fuel smuggling. According to the Deividas Matulionis, the prime minister's chancellor, the situation is improving compared to the previous year. In April, the commission will consider what officers should receive pay awards for the fight against smuggling. The Government plans to allocate 5 million litas (1.44 million euros) to such officers as a financial incentive. Closer cooperation with the EU institution is also expected to contribute to the fight against smuggling, illegal trafficking and the informal economy.

EU Commissioner Semeta said that the European Commission was working on measures to encourage cooperation among the member states to tackle smuggling. According to the commissioner, the EU's external eastern border is the most vulnerable spot when speaking about the fight against smuggling, thus, the Community will focus to neutralize any threats at the border.