Conference: Challenges in Customs and Trade Cooperation
Challenges in Customs and Trade Cooperation was the title of the conference organised by the Customs Administration on 7 October 2011 as a part of the celebration on occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Slovenian Customs service. Representatives of Slovenian companies, of the Customs, and foreign guests discussed the cooperation and future development of the customs system, procedures, and competitiveness of the Slovenian economy.
Participants were representatives of Slovenian companies to which AEO certificates had been issued by the Customs Administration, representatives of the Customs, of the Ministry of Finance and special guests: Franc Križanič, Minister of Finance, Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, and Walter Deffaa, Director General of Customs and Taxation Directorate with the European Commission.
Highlights of presentations
Minister Križanič outlined the importance of the Customs in the current society and its functions in providing funding for the state budget; he mentioned the importance of competitiveness of Slovenian companies, fight against illegal trafficking and trade in counterfeit goods. He also presented ”‹”‹the macroeconomic picture and analysis of the situation in Slovenia.
Kunio Mikuriya focused on the global integration of the Customs and its relationship with traders. Globally integrated Customs provides for integration in various areas; it is the basis for e-customs, active customs integration and real-time communication, recognition of Authorised Economic Operators; it will be the basis for minimum set of data for a single submission of information to carry out all necessary checks.
Walter Deffaa presented the modernized Customs Code that seeks to achieve more with fewer resources: further development of risk analysis, new control methods, and active role in fight against counterfeiting and customs fraud.
Stanislav Mikuž outlined the milestones of the Slovenian Customs development from the original Yugoslav customs legislation to EU legislation and the old customs procedures until now. Today the focus is on simplified customs procedures and paperless business. Along with changing the laws and procedures, the most important change has been the change in the way thinking and habits of customs officers and awareness that the Customs is a partner and service to the trade, so the trade facilitations are important part of the Customs tasks.
Suzana Zornada Vrabec from the Port of Koper presented the business of Luka Koper, its development and interaction with the Customs. She proposed a closer integration of the Port and the Customs Information System in order to facilitate customer service operations, and provide for the Customs additional information necessary for quality control.
Andrej Lukan from Krka spoke of the Krka Company, one of the leading Slovenian companies having factories also in other EU countries. Their wish is the possibility of central lodging of customs documents in Slovenia for all their factories in the EU. In Novo mesto they would like to complete import customs formalities for the goods entering the EU in Frankfurt or in Brest on the Polish-Belarusian border. He proposed the creation of a single guarantee for securing the customs debt in different procedures, since guarantees are significant company cost.
Rajko Skubic, the Director General of the Customs Administration, promised that the Customs would consider the challenges and opportunities for the future participation, and the proposals of the conference. Similar meetings with the Slovenian companies’ representatives will be organised in the future too.
Presentations
Customs and business relations for the future - an EU prespective: Walter Deffaa (European Commission DG TAXUD) (692 KB) [PPT-692KB]
Where do we come from, where we are going ... SLO Customs yesterday, today, tomorrow: Stanislav Mikuž (Customs Administration of Slovenia) (867 KB) [PPT-87KB]
South European Gateway: Suzana Zornada-Vrabec (Port of Koper) (1.9 MB) [PPT-1.91MB]
Experience and cooperation with Customs: Andrej Lukan (Krka) (1.3 MB) [PDF-1.32]