Customs Officials from Belarus and Ukraine Learn European Transit Systems
The International Organization for Migration (IOM), in cooperation with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and experts from the Customs Board of Latvia, will conduct training on the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and New Computerized Transit System (NCTS) for 20 customs officials from the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine on 21–23 January 2015 in Minsk.
The training will provide customs officers with the skills and knowledge about the legal status and procedures of EFTA, an intergovernmental organisation that promotes free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its Member States, and about the New Computerized Transit System (NCTS), a European-wide system for electronic declarations and processing, designed to provide better management and control of Community and Common Transit. The training will also provide an opportunity to apply the gained theoretical knowledge during practical exercises on customs declarations.
Background:
This training is part of the European Union-funded project ‘Support to the creation of an electronic system of pre-arrival information exchange between the customs authorities of Belarus and Ukraine – PRINEX’. The project is being implemented by the International Organization on Migration (IOM) in partnership with ICMPD, which oversees PRINEX’s training component. Project activities include regular cross-border meetings and working groups to strengthen coordination and cooperation, hardware and software procurement, training workshops and study visits on risk analysis, document security, the fight against smuggling of goods and corruption, and information campaigns on the benefits of the new pre-arrival information exchange system for the local population at large and commercial carriers. The State Customs Committee of the Republic of Belarus and the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine are the recipients of the international technical assistance provided in the framework of the PRINEX project.
For more information about the project, please contact: