New EU4Digital eCustoms activities expand Ukraine–Moldova–Romania trade potential
Date: 06/10/23
EU4Digital Facility kicked off new eCustoms pilot activities on 27 September 2023. The new pilots, between participating customs authorities of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, build on previous successes. These pilots are part of a wider programme of EU4Digital eTrade activities to develop cross-border trade in the Eastern Partnership.
In the kick-off meeting, EU4Digital facilitated discussion between representatives of the European Commission’s Directorate-General Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR), the EU Advisory Mission Ukraine and the customs administrations from the three participating countries. The parties expressed high interest in continuing their collaboration to streamline trade flows through better data exchange.
The new pilots feature trilateral eCustoms activities between the three countries. These pilots aim to strengthen customs-to-customs data exchanges and introduce advanced customs risk management processes, utilising existing IT solutions.
The previous eCustoms pilots between Moldova/Ukraine and Romania were bilateral. These were designed based on more than eleven years of experience in using ‘SEED’, the Systematic Electronic Exchange of Data application in the Western Balkans. In March 2022, the first eCustoms pilot project tested data exchange between the Romanian Customs Authority and the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova. This test involved empty trucks crossing the border between Leuseni (Moldova) and Albita (Romania). A similar pilot in summer 2023 was conducted between the Romanian Customs Authority and the State Customs Service of Ukraine, with empty trucks traversing the Siret-Porubne border crossing point (BCP). In these pilots, information about the empty trucks crossing the border at the respective BCPs was exchanged automatically via SEED nodes, which were established in each of the participating customs’ digital infrastructures.
New phase of pilots
In the next phase of eCustoms pilot activities, the Customs Service of the Republic of Moldova, the State Customs Service of Ukraine and the Romanian Customs Authority are all involved simultaneously. This will contribute to the facilitation of trade and streamlining of exports from Ukraine in the context of the Solidarity Lanes programme. As well as this trilateral pilot, the new activities will include further bilateral eCustoms pilots: Ukraine–Romania and Moldova–Romania.
The geographic scope of the pilots includes several border crossing points connecting Ukraine and Moldova to the EU, namely:
EU4Digital will assist the participating customs authorities to test SEED+, the modernised version of the software solution, in exchanging data sets regarding not only empty trucks but also trucks carrying cargo, and more advanced scenarios. Another new aspect of the upcoming pilots is participation of the three countries’ phytosanitary authorities, which ensure the health of plants in compliance with the requirements of international trade in agricultural goods.
The aim of the pilots is twofold. They will provide proof of concept for a potential full-scale implementation of the SEED solution. They will also lead to the development of recommendations for each party regarding the required legal, organisational, and technical adjustments needed to enable SEED use at all the border crossing points.
These activities are expected to last until March 2024, under coordination of EU4Digital’s expert team and with close observation and guidance of DG TAXUD.
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