The beginning of the EU funded Twinning project “Further harmonization to EU practices and Acquis on customs and taxation” will take place on the 27th of February 2013, starting at 13:00 p.m. at the Hotel ‘Bosna’ (Piano Bar, 1st floor) in Banja Luka.
This project will provide vital support for the further development of B&H’s Indirect Taxation Authority in conformity with the European standards. Project consists of 11 components in the area of indirect taxation with the following main goals: further simplification of customs procedures, improved cooperation between customs and trade including introduction of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status, improved efficiency of post clearance audits, preparation for introduction of New Computerized Transit System (NCTS) which is applicable in the EU and EFTA countries, Croatia and Turkey, further alignment of B&H customs, VAT and excise legislation with EU regulations and directives, trainings of ITA officials in line with the latest EU working practices, successful fight regarding counterfeit goods, improved system of risk analysis with reduced number of customs controls, improved Human Resources Management (HRM) and internal audit within ITA, improved or modified customs and VAT IT systems.
The project is financed by the European Union to the tune of 2,000,000.00 euro from Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA 2011) and will be implemented by the Agency for European Integration and Economic Development (AEI), c/o Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance in cooperation with Slovenian Ministry of Finance – Customs Administration of Republic of Slovenia.