Customs Procedures in Kaliningrad Region to Be Significantly Simplified

Customs procedures in the Kaliningrad Region are to be significantly simplified and speeded up. This decision was taken yesterday by Mikhail Vanin, the chairman of the State Customs Committee, and Kaliningrad Governor Vladimir Yegorov at a meeting in Kaliningrad.

According to Rosbalt's correspondent, the meeting looked at how the joint agreement signed at the end of last year is being put into practice. Both sides remarked on the highly effective cooperation, which has helped to increase foreign trade in the region and has brought about mutual benefit in the form of a rise in revenues for the federal and regional budgets. In particular, the State Customs Committee introduced changes to the 'Definition of origin of goods produced in the Special Economic Zone of the Kaliningrad Region', and simplified the declaration procedure for fish products caught by local companies in the Baltic Economic Zone.

It was agreed to extend this form of customs control to all Kaliningrad-based vessels bringing seafood to the port, even if caught outside the region. This agreement, together with a raft of other issues, were included in the regional administration and customs authorities' plan of action for the fourth quarter of this year.

Vanin also met yesterday with representatives of the regional Association of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, who had prepared a list of proposals for simplifying customs procedures. The chairman of the committee promised to examine the material carefully and, if possible, to find solutions to the problems hindering foreign trade activity.

The programme of Vanin's trip includes a visit to customs facilities on the Polish border, where he intends to hold discussions with local customs workers on the issues of ordinary passengers and freight, the organisation of the terminals' work and their modernisation, and constructing the Mamonovo-2 - Grzechotki crossing.