European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 1

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 2

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 3

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 4

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 5

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 6

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 7

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

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 8

Priority 3: Infrastructure

• Useful discussions on respective plans, priorities

• In the recent past EU-financed projects on Russia’s border with Finland, Lithuania, Poland

• Room for improvement in infrastructure• Not main obstacle to smooth EU-Russia trade

flows

European Commission /

Taxation and Customs Union

04/20/23 Présentation Powerpoint 9

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