9/12/2023
Post and Customs signed Memo on improvement of business cooperation
Directors of PE Post of Serbia and the Customs Administration Zoran Đorđević and Branko Radujko, respectively, signed a memorandum of understanding and improvement of business cooperation, the aim of which is to accelerate and facilitate the circulation of postal items in international postal traffic.
The signing of the Memorandum is the crown of the project "Data processing before the arrival of postal items in Serbia" on which, for the past two years, experts from the Post of Serbia and Customs have worked together through the global programme Alliance for Trade Facilitation, implemented by the German Agency for International Cooperation GIZ.
Given that in previous years there has been an expansion of online shopping, the number of postal items has increased many times, so the modernization of business processes, which implies the introduction of automation in transport, sorting and customs procedures, will lead to a reduction in the time necessary to process incoming items which are increasing in number day by day.
This can be achieved by applying the most modern information technologies (new IT applications, as well as scanners for inspection of postal items). It is expected that the introduction of a digitized data processing procedure on postal itemsbefore delivery will enable them to be immediately forwarded to the recipients upon arrival, if they are not separated for customs control. In this way, the total time of their retention will be significantly reduced, which is the main benefit for users.
The project "Data processing before the arrival of postal items in Serbia" implemented by GIZ as part of the German Development Cooperation in Serbia focuses on the implementation of trade facilitation measures in Serbia. The project provides support through the development of software for the exchange of electronic data before the arrival of postal items, the procurement of supporting equipment, the improvement of risk management capacities and the adaptation of legal regulations that accompany the exchange of data.
The process of development and conclusion of the Memorandum of Understanding and Improvement of Business Cooperation between the Customs Administration and the Post of Serbia was also supported by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, especially in the part concerning safety and security, as it will contribute to the development of analysis and risk management and therefore to an adequate response to illegal trade and smuggling attempts through postal items.
With the signing of the Memorandum, the first step towards the implementation of improved technological solutions in the process of delivering postal items was made official, and their testing will follow, while the start of the implementation of new IT applications and business processes is expected at the beginning of next year.