New Customs Code to become effective in 2013

TIRANA, June 13 – Albania has drafted a new customs code meeting EU standards which will be effective in 2013. This was announced on Tuesday by Finance Minister Ridvan Bode during a project between the Albanian and Austrian customs.
Ettore Sequi, the Ambassador of the European Commission Delegation to Albania, said the new code would create an efficient customs system for Albania– which is working toward EU integration– and protect consumers while lowering corruption in this sector.
Since the beginning of 2010, the European Union has been assisting the Albanian customs system under a 2 million Euro project. The project will bring EU expertise from the member states to assist Albania in completing its customs legislation and putting its practices in line with those applied by EU member states. The project ultimately will advance Albania’s integration process by bringing Albania to the same level of customs procedures that facilitate trade in the EU and that have made the internal market a success. The 2 million Euro project will continue until 2012 and will be implemented by the Austrian Customs Administration with the support of the Polish Customs Service.
The European Commission said in its latest progress report that customs legislation in Albania is partly aligned. “Further efforts are needed in a number of areas, along with overall alignment with the EU’s customs legislation. The administrative and operational capacity of the customs administration will need to be reinforced to improve implementation of the existing legislation and to address future challenges. IT capacity will need to be strengthened, with particular attention to interconnectivity and interoperability with the computerized systems of the EU.”
Overall, Albania still faces challenges in the areas of legislative alignment and administrative capacity, but should, in the medium term, have the capacity to comply with the requirements, provided it continues its efforts.