MINSK, 9 November (BelTA) – Borders of the Customs Union should be upgraded as soon as possible in view of the steadily rising transit traffic via Belarusian border checkpoints. The opinion was voiced by Mr Sergei Borisyuk, Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus, at the roundtable session Customs Union: The Practical Dimension in Minsk on 9 November, BelTA has learned.
According to Sergei Borisyuk, transit traffic via Belarus has been rising by 20% every year lately. Merchandise bound for the Russian Federation accounts for about 80%. The workload of Belarusian border checkpoints has increased considerably. Some of them cannot handle the traffic now, queues form up. This is why they need reconstruction or upgrade as soon as possible, explained the official.
Sergei Borisyuk pointed out that increasing the speed and volume of transit traffic by rail is also urgent. Belarus’ Customs believes the problem should be resolved by switching to digital forms of transportation documents and commercial ones. “We believe that the move would contribute to faster clearance of cargoes at the border and at customs clearance stations inside the country,” said Sergei Borisyuk.
He also added that regulations of interstate level were required to address existing problems in transit via the Customs Union, information exchange about commodities and foreign trade operators, unification of laws to fight customs violations. The problems also require support from parliamentarians. This is why the Deputy Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus said he hopes that the participants of the roundtable session would aid Belarus’ Customs in implementing Union State and Customs Union joint programs concerning customs affairs.
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