Newspaper RD, 5

th
of April 2008



New strategies against evasion and illicit traffics from
EU and countries of region.


EU funds TACTA project worth of 7.1 million Euros.


An international staff of 70 experts will provide assistance and will be
coordinated from the team leaders in each of the beneficiary countries.

During a meeting organized yesterday at Rogner Hotel was made the official
introduction of TACTA project from European Union (Technical Assistance to
Customs and Tax Administration). This project is of great profit for the
countries of Balkan. The Italian Agency of Customs will manage the project
involving 5 countries of West Balkan Region: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina,
Kosovo (under UNSCR 1244), Montenegro and Serbia. TACTA project target
is to achieve a modernization of organizational institutions and operational
procedures in compliance with EU standards and to devise new strategies for
the purpose of repression of evasion and illicit traffics, underlining that the
countries of region have been always under influence of the aforementioned
phenomenon.

TACTA project was assigned through bid procedure by European Union to the
public private consortium ITACA (International Technical Assistance to
Customs and Tax Administration) which was an initiative from Italian Agency
of Customs. Public members of consortium besides the Italian Customs
Agency are the Italian Tax Agency, Finish Customs and University of Naples.
There are also private partners in the consortium like GEIE, Legal Studio
Tonucci & Partners and DMI-Associates.

The Italian consortium has got all potentials to be supported by partners of
high professionalism through the direct participation of Customs and Tax
Administrations as well as the EU Tax and Customs Administrations. The
assistance activity will be managed by an international team of 70 experts
who will provide their assistance and will be coordinated by team leaders
assigned in each of the beneficiary countries. Representatives of five said
countries were present in the meeting as well as representatives from
European Commission, local and international authorities. The meeting was
opened with the speech from the Ambassador of European Community in
Albania Ingve Ingstron who is also in charge of TACTA project in the DG
Enlargement. Ingstrom stated that this is a one-year project to be guided by
an international staff of experts. A comprehensive regulating legal framework
which would enable to meet some economic and institutional targets is
expected to be a priority for the customs and tax administrations of Balkan
countries.
Ingstrom pointed out that this project of 7.1 million Euros aims to achieve
important economical and institutional goals like improvement of commercial
exchange through a more transparent legal framework and considering to put
into effect the recommendations of EU in the process of Stability and
Association of the Balkan countries.

The Vice Minister of Finances Florian Mima said that the Albanian
government put efforts to improve the service of taxes and customs which
consisted in computerizing both services thanks also to the assistance from
EU.

The Head of International Collaboration and Technical Assistance of Italian
Customs and Directress of this project brought up a detailed presentation of
TACTA project which as mentioned above will cover a period of one year.

One of the main pillars of the project is the permanent Forum of Regional
Coordination that will be coordinated by the Director of Central Department of
Foreign Relation of Italian Customs Agency.

As the aspirations of Balkan countries are to be part of European Union, they
would have to align the legal framework and implement it rigorously in order to
get closer to EU standards.