Geographic Focus: National TRACECA Commissions Customs Departments

Project Budget : EURO 2,000,000

Contractor : to be contracted in 2001

Implementation timetable : 24 months

REPORTS ON LINE FOR THIS PROJECT (If needed, instructions for download here)

Background and Objectives. Previous TRACECA project entitled Trade Facilitation identified many inconsistencies in the border crossing procedures applied by TRACECA states.

These concerned for example the documents used, the control processes, the legal basis for the various documents in use, and the overall effectiveness of the controls applied. In practice there remain serious contradictions between policy and practice at border crossings.

On the one hand, TRACECA Governments are very concerned that their economies should be linked to world-wide markets, while on the other hand, inefficient border crossing procedures impose wasteful costs on international transport operators, and impede international trade. The objective of this project will be to harmonise procedures within the region, and to align them with EU practice. The emphasis of the project will be on implementation of new procedures.

Key Issues.

• Set up a working group attached to the National Commissions. The group is to meet at, say, monthly intervals, and members are to be deeply involved in all project activities. The project is to be managed from a regional centre. The Team Leadership is to include a citizen of a TRACECA country.
• Review and refresh the output of the previous Trade Facilitation Project.
• Investigate, for the principal TRACECA border crossings, what are the present controls, documentation, and who implements them?
• Customs procedures (this comprises the core theme of the project)
• Immigration
• Vehicle controls, for dimensions, weight and emissions
• Border guards, security agencies, police
• Controls for quotas, of goods and transit permits
• Traffic police
• Regional or city authorities
• Sanitary, veterinary
• Any entity collecting fees from traffic, at borders or elsewhere
• Determine the legal basis, in each state, for the present controls (Orders, decrees, etc)
• To develop appropriate and adequate system of control after the movement of transit goods.
• Carry out unannounced spot checks of the procedures at each TRACECA border crossing, by out-of-uniform customs officers and EU consultants.
• Determine the transparency of the present rules for the user.
• Propose a harmonised list of controls and documents, that conform with international norms, satisfy national and regional objectives.
• Prepare model documents in languages of choice of each beneficiary state, based on the key document package from Trade Facilitation Project.
• Set performance targets for the proposed controls (minutes processing per document).
• Establish country by country an implementation programme, in agreement with the national authorities (legal basis, model amendments to laws, documents to be scrapped, publishing procedures for informing officers and users on new rules).
• Issuance of Manuals for Customs Officers, and user guides for transport operators
• Training and assistance with reorganisation to introduce new methods
• According to Basic Multilateral Agreement to create the institute of Customs Broker

Latest updated version February 2000