OREANDA-NEWS. June 03, 2010. A regular meeting of the officials of the Russian FCS with the delegates of companies-members of unions and associations, representing international business in Russia was held at the Russian FCS.

The event was devoted to the questions of customs regulation within the formation of Customs Union of the Russian Federation, Belarus and Kazakhstan as well as the implementation of the Concept of customs clearance and customs control over goods at places close to the state border of the Russian Federation (hereinafter referred to as Concept).

Chief of the Department for Implementation of Customs Politics of the Analytic Authority Olga Lamm informed about the formation of the Customs Union of the three countries. She paid attention to the changes of regulatory system : six-level system of legislation including Customs Code of the Customs Union, international agreements, decisions of the Commission of the Customs Union, Federal Law On Customs Regulation in the Russian Federation, acts of the government of the Russian Federation and normative legal acts of the Russian FCS will be in effect within the Customs Union.

In order to help the participants of the international economic activity rapidly adapt to the changes of customs legislation Consulting Center is being created at the FCS. Participants of the international economic activity will receive qualified answer in a short time upon inquiry.

Olga Lamm added that currently the stages of removal of customs clearance and customs control from the boundaries of the three countries are the same, namely from July 1, 2010 customs clearance and customs control is intended to be removed at the border with Belarus and customs clearance – at the border with the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Chief of the Future Policy of the Customs Bodies of the Analytical Authority Alexander Zhiriakov reported of the plans on the implementation of the Concept. He said that today 19 customs bodies are defined within the Concept, which are situated or will be situated at the existing or newly created customs and logistics terminals.

The approved list of the customs and logistics terminals, which are necessary to be organized as a matter of priority contains 50 points: Central Customs Authority – 10, North-West Customs Authority – 13, South Customs Authority – 11, Ural Customs Authority – 2, Volga Customs Authority – 1, Siberia Customs Authority – 11, Far East Customs Authority – 2. Currently 19 terminals are ready for operations. By the end of 2010 8 terminal are intended to be prepared, in 2011 – 3. The terms of creation of the rest of the terminals are not fixed yet.

Deputy Chief of the Department of Customs Procedures and Customs Control of the Organization of Customs Control Service of the Central Customs Authority Andrey Kondrukhov reported that within the implementation of the Concept in the medium term the subsequent stage within the region of the Central Customs Authority’s activity will be the reorganization of Moscow region customs. 

Supposedly, from November 2010 to June 2011 the Moscow Regional Customs is planned to be created and Zelenograd, Noginsk and Schelkovo Customs are intended to be reorganized by their integration to the Moscow Regional Customs, which will include 25-30 places of customs clearance.

Chief of the Department of Customs Clearance outside the Points of Entry of the Main Authority on the Organization of Customs Clearance and Customs Control Sergey Pirog explained to the audience the questions concerning the registration of customs declaration and the terms of customs clearance. He brought to notice the fact that the Customs Code of the Customs Union prescribes for a customs authority the fixed terms of the registration or refusal to register of the declaration – no more than 2 (two) hours from the submitting of the customs declaration. This clause is lacking in the RF Customs Code and is a novelty.

To implement the abovementioned paragraph 3 of article 190 of the Customs Code of the Customs Union the decision of the Commission of the Customs Union has been developed. It approves the Instruction on the procedure of registration, refusal to register the declaration of goods and registration of refusal to release the goods. This Instruction will allow avoiding the delaying of the registration of declaration of goods.

Chief of the Department of Providing Control over Security of Imported Goods of the Authority of Customs Restrictions, Exchange and Export Controls Zoya Tereshina cleared up the certification questions. She said that from July 1, 2010 there would be the single documents in effect which had already been developed and would be approved in the nearest future. The procedure of import of the production subject to the compulsory conformance evaluation to the customs territory of the Customs Union has become simpler as the exceptions have been entered in it concerning the used goods, as well as concerning the procedure of free trade.

She emphasized that the conformance certificate and conformance declaration registered and entered in the Single Register of Issued Conformance Certificates and the Register of Registered Conformance Declarations will be in effect after July 1, 2010.

Besides, the participants of the meeting were informed on the matters of intellectual property, electronic declaration, customs duties, customs value levy and risk management.
The Russian FCS experts commented upon a wide range of questions arisen during the discussion.