„This means that in addition to customs declarations and accompanying documents, they will now be submitted and processed electronically without the need for paper documents,“ emphasizes Ivana Vujisić from the Customs Administration.
And thus, customs processes are slowly but surely transitioning to complete digitalization. According to Vujisić, this is a significant step towards modernization and alignment with modern European standards.
„Paperless operations bring faster processing and approval of customs declarations, reduction of administrative costs, paper consumption, as well as simpler searching and archiving of documentation. I would also emphasize that the possibility of corruption is significantly reduced, as all data and requests are processed and submitted electronically without physical contact between the freight forwarder and the customs officer, since digital flows leave a complete indelible trace of every activity and change, enabling automatic tracking and control and thereby minimizing the need for personal mediation,“ explains Vujisić.
The Customs Administration is, as they told us, administratively and technically already ready for a complete transition to paperless operations. However, for such a transition, certain economic entities are still not ready, they say from the Administration.
„Pilot production has shown that most economic entities successfully submit documents electronically, while based on consultations with the economy and experiences from training, including the latest one held in mid-month at the Chamber of Commerce, it has been assessed that some economic entities need additional time for technical adjustment, procurement of scanners, and other necessary equipment. Here, we have taken into account that the Customs Administration’s priority during the increased volume of traffic during the summer tourist season is the uninterrupted functioning of the economy, so we will continue with education and technical support before the full implementation of paperless operations,“ states Vujisić.
Vujisić also conveys that our country is on the verge of fulfilling all final criteria within the negotiating chapter 29, but that the Customs Administration still has intense activities ahead.
„Especially in fulfilling the third criterion through the implementation of 11 IT systems donated by the Republic of Slovenia and the development of two IT systems financed from IPA funds,“ she says.
When it comes to paperless customs clearance, our interlocutor emphasizes that all measures have been taken to ensure that the start of the new system’s application proceeds with as few challenges and delays as possible.
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