Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
98
 Producing a gaps and needs analysis of the customs legislation and procedures related
to interoperability of IT system with the EU-NCTS system, including a set of
recommendations.
 Creation of a NCTS IT business team.
 Development of business process models.
 Training of Albania Customs Administration officers in controlling and testing the
national transit application for certain and drafting related instructions.
 Organizing trade awareness actions and producing appropriate material.
The main objective of Component 2 is to assist the Albanian Customs Administration to
improve its administrative capacity and bring into line with the EU Customs practices, in the
area of Customs transit, and to bolster technical and operational capacities in enforcement and
intelligence. The effective implementation of transit procedures through NCTS system is
crucial for Albanian Customs as the country’s geographical location welcomes large volumes of
transit goods. The anticipated outputs are:
 Producing a gaps and needs analysis on Albanian enforcement system including
appropriate recommendations.
 Conducting training on enforcement of Customs Transit for customs managers and
staff along with the production of training modules and related materials.
 Providing guidelines on the collection and processing of intelligence and data.
 Organizing and conducting Joint Pilot exercises. (Modernisation of Albanian Customs,
2016 and European Commission, 2012).
One of the recent outcomes of IPA 2012 was the development of the “New Albanian Customs
Code" that entered into force on 1 January 2015. It aims to harmonize Albanian Customs
Legislation with EU Regulation no. 952/2013, dated 09 October 2013 "Union Customs Code".
The “New Albanian Customs Code” is designed to simplify legislative and procedural
complexity for customs authorities and economic operators in order to facilitate and secure
trade. It will also set forth the legislative framework to adopt secondary and tertiary legislation
to allow accession to the Common Transit Convention (CTC). The computerization and
simplification of procedures is expected to enable companies established in Albania to better
tackle the customs-related challenges of economic globalization and increasing trade volumes.
With regard to customs transit, Albania currently has the status of an Observer of the Common
Transit Convention (CTC) of which the EU is a party. Albania is expected to join as a full
member still during 2016. 175
4.4.2. Tangible iBAC activities in Albania
Pre-arrival information exchange SEED
The Customs Administration of Albania is a beneficiary of the Systematic Electronic Exchange
of Data (SEED) project. The other beneficiaries are the Indirect Tax Authority of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the Macedonian Customs Administration, the Montenegrin Customs
Administration, the Customs Administration of Serbia, and the Kosovo Customs Service. The
project mission is to support the customs administrations in their efforts to implement the
SEED system for the exchange of pre-arrival information – ultimately between the six
175 Modernisation of Albanian Customs Annex C1, n.d.