MINSK, 20 September (BelTA) – The Belarusian customs service is ready to digitize every process, BelTA learned from Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus Yuri Senko on 20 September.
The official noted that the customs service is constantly in search for better practices, which are convenient for the private sector. Information sharing has been established with a number of ministries and government agencies. The customs service can now get digital information and digital copies of documents so that commercial entities do not have to bring hardcopies. At present 99% of the declarations submitted by the private sector are digital. Of the total number 23% of the export declarations are processed automatically without input from customs officials. In his opinion, the percentage can and should be increased but other government agencies and private companies have to embrace more digital technologies. “The customs service is ready for it. We are ready to contact any commercial entity in a digital form today. There are no problems with that,” Yuri Senko stressed.
The reconstruction and development of border checkpoints continues. “Belarus is a transit country. Naturally, we should create modern infrastructure, find ways to assimilate new clearance techniques, in other words, digitize all the processes in the border checkpoints. We've already raised the bar to a proper level,” the head of Belarus' Customs said. “We welcomed a delegation of the UK customs administration a short while ago. The delegation studied the experience of the Belarusian customs service and intends to send its representatives to Belarus later. We are pleased they borrow our experience. We try to continue getting better and grow.”
Among novelties Yuri Senko mentioned the automation of customs processes, the introduction of the one-stop shop principle at the border, and the use of the unified transit system of the Eurasian Economic Union. A number of national documents have been brought into compliance with the Customs Code of the Eurasian Economic Union. The law on customs regulations is in the final phase of the reconciliation process.
Belarus is also studying the international experience of development of customs service. “We borrow the most useful practices. In particular, there is the Customs Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia. We regularly meet, work out decisions beneficial for cooperation of the customs administrations of the two countries and for work of the private sector. We show these decisions to our partners in the Eurasian Economic Union. It is even easier for them to get involved because we've already polished some matters in the bilateral format,” Yuri Senko said.
The 10th international applied science conference on innovations, cooperation, and security in customs service is taking place in Minsk today. Participants of the conference are expected to discuss international and national regulations in the sphere of foreign trade, consider prospects of improving the legal base and law application practices in customs affairs. Ways to improve customs transit in the Eurasian Economic Union will be discussed as well as modern customs administration technologies, the development of the logistics system and the transit potential in Belarus, the multifunctional role the customs service plays in meeting current challenges for international business. Integration processes in international trade will also be discussed. Close attention is paid to the enforcement of customs regulations, innovative tools designed to develop customs business, and the development of operation of non-commercial organizations in customs sphere. A session of the board of the Customs Committee of the Union State of Belarus and Russia is also supposed to take place today.
