Pilot project on EU-Russia exchanges of advance customs information

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Pilot project on EU-Russia exchanges of advance
customs information

• By Marko Lätti, European Commission,
  Directorate-General of Taxation and Customs Union
  
• 25 June 2009

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Context traffic at the EU-Russian border

• Problem congestion at the EU-Russian border
• Long queues of lorries, particularly in Finland,
  Estonia, Latvia
• Negative effects on trade flows, environment
• Discussions in EU-Russia Summits since 2006,
  high-level agreement on need for action
• Result approval of a joint border congestion
  strategy in April 2007

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EU-Russia strategy on border congestion

• Strategy based on three parallel priorities for
  action
• - reform of Russian customs/border procedures
• - exchanges of advance information, pilot
  project
• - infrastructure
• All three elements should be implemented
  simultaneously
• Strategy agreed by the EU-Russia Customs
  Sub-Committee

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Implementation of the strategy

• Working Group Commission (DG TAXUD), Federal
  Customs Service, EU Member States on a voluntary
  basis 13 at this moment (AT, BE, CZ, DE, EE, FI,
  HU, IT, LT, LV, PL, SK, SV)
• Working Group in charge of follow-up and
  monitoring of strategy implementation
• Quarterly meetings, alternately Brussels / Moscow

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Priority 1 Russian reforms

• Law 266 of 30.12.2006, implementation underway
• Reduction in number of border agencies
• Two agencies Customs, Border Guards
• Other initiatives border clearance concept,
  containers
• Long-term process

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Priority 2 Information exchanges

• Pilot project implemented as of 1 January 2009
• Technical implementation successful,
  approximately 3.000 messages/day, 120.000
  messages as of 31.05.09
• Nine Member States sending messages today, the
  rest from July 2009
• Contents of message transit information
  (NCTS/TIR)
• Message sent when TIR movement created in
  participating Member State

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Priority 2 Information exchanges

• Message sent via SPEED platform by Member State
• SPEED applies necessary filters and forwards to
  Russian Customs headquarters
• Risk analysis, message transmitted to
  border-crossing point
• Quicker procedure if information sent in advance
• Implementation still in early phase, reduced
  trade

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Priority 3 Infrastructure

• Useful discussions on respective plans,
  priorities
• In the recent past EU-financed projects on
  Russias border with Finland, Lithuania, Poland
• Room for improvement in infrastructure
• Not main obstacle to smooth EU-Russia trade flows

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Current situation / the way ahead

• Continue to work on parellel implementation of
  the three priorities
• Main challenge slow pace of Russian reforms
• Current crisis also represents an opportunity
• Meetings of the Working Group, Customs
  Sub-Committee
• Evaluation of results, decision on follow-up

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