Europe assists Albania to join harmonized customs tariff system

TIRANA, May 26 – Albania is joining the Harmonized System, which is used as the basis for Customs tariffs and for the compilation of trade statistics around the world.
The Harmonized System Convention will enter into force in Albania on 1 January 2014, according to the World Customs Organization (WCO), which also says more than 98 percent of international merchandise trade is classified this way.
Albania is located in south eastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece in the south and Montenegro and Kosovo to the north. Its principal export commodities include clothing, footwear and textiles.
A 2.2 million euro project funded by the EU has brought EU know-how from the Swedish Tax Agency and the French Public Finances General Directorate to assist Albania to complete its tax legislation and improve its working practices in line with those in EU Member States. The project has also introduced better use of information technology, to improve the efficiency and transparency of the tax administration for the benefit of businesses and the general public.
The EU has long assisted Albania in improving its fiscal system. This twinning project between the Albanian authorities, the Swedish Tax Agency and the French Public Finances General Directorate has brought experts from EU Member States to Albania to complete Albania’s fiscal legislation in this area in line with the EU one; to adopt Internal Audit procedures, aligned with EU standards; to support the Tax Investigation Directorate; to establish a well-functioning IT Department and to improve the connectivity with all regional branches through a secure and reliable network.
Head of the EU Delegation to Albania, Ambassador Ettore Sequi, said that “the future efficiency and accountability of Albania’s fiscal system depends on the commitment of Albania’s authorities to the principles of efficiency and accountability, on their commitment to work together for such a system,” adding that the modernization of Albania’s fiscal system is also important in the fight against corruption, to level the playing field for businesses and to ensure fair competition.
The new EU Information Relay for Businesses, an initiative of the EU Delegation to Albania to bring the Union closer to businesses, was launched in Tirana consisting of information points in Tirana, Durr쳬 Fier, Gjirokastra and Lezha to enable businesses to learn more about access to the EU market, customs and tariffs, environmental regulations, standards and technical specifications, food and safety rules, intellectual property and many other areas that shape the EU market and that will soon shape the Albanian one too.