Belarus-Ukraine customs system PRINEX to be launched in August 2015

An electronic system of pre-arrival information exchange between the customs authorities of Belarus and Ukraine PRINEX will be come on stream in August 2015, the head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Belarus Zeynal Hajiyev told reporters on 21 January, BelTA has learned.

"The project to develop the electronic system of pre-arrival information exchange between the customs authorities of Belarus and Ukraine PRINEX is important and relevant at the current stage of development of the two countries. It will significantly reduce the time spent on crossing the border,” said Mr Zeynal Hajiyev. He added that the parties will also introduce a new risk management system, which will help the two countries fight against the smuggling of goods.

The European Union has allocated more than €3.7 million for the project. "We are at the final stage. The project is on track to be complete in August. Already by early summer, the system will be installed at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border and will be tested, which will take some time,” stated Mr. Zeynal Hajiyev.

For his part, Vadim Yakovlev, the deputy head of the customs tariff regulation department of the State Customs Committee of Belarus, noted that Belarus highly appreciates the PRINEX project because cutting time on border crossing for goods and vehicles is one of the priorities of the Belarusian customs.

On 21–23 January 2015 Minsk is playing host to the training on the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and New Computerized Transit System (NCTS) for 20 customs officials from the Republic of Belarus and Ukraine. The training will provide customs officers with the skills and knowledge about the legal status and procedures of EFTA, an intergovernmental organization that promotes free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its Member States, and about the New Computerized Transit System (NCTS), a European-wide system for electronic declarations and processing, designed to provide better management and control of Community and Common Transit.

This training is part of the project “Support to the creation of an electronic system of pre-arrival information exchange between the customs authorities of Belarus and Ukraine PRINEX.” The aim of the project is to facilitate the legitimate movement of goods and transport vehicles across the common border of Belarus and Ukraine, and also across a wider space between the European Union and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Project activities include regular cross-border meetings and working groups to strengthen coordination and cooperation, hardware and software procurement, training workshops and study visits on risk analysis, document security, the fight against smuggling of goods and corruption, and information campaigns on the benefits of the new pre-arrival information exchange system for the local population at large and commercial carriers.