Customs Matters

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PLAN OF ACTION OF THE

BSEC WORKING GROUP ON CUSTOMS MATTERS

 1st July 2025 – 30th June 2027

 

 

Country-Coordinator:

Republic of Armenia

 

 

 

RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION:

State Revenue Committee of the Republic of Armenia

Contact point: Inga Poghosyan

Tel: +37460844312

E-mail: inga_poghosyan@taxservice.am

 

 

  1. GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

 

The Republic of Armenia has been appointed as the Country-Coordinator of the BSEC Working Group on Customs Matters (WGCM) for the two-year period as of 1 July 2025 by the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the BSEC Member States at its 50th Meeting held on 27 June 2025.

Following this decision, the Republic of Armenia prepared this Plan of Action of the BSEC WGCM for the 1 July 2025 – 30 June 2027 period.

Armenia, as the Country-Coordinator of the BSEC Working Group on Customs Matters, commits to enhancing regional cooperation in customs procedures, trade facilitation, enforcement, and digital transformation. This Action Plan outlines key objectives and activities to support efficient, secure, and harmonized customs operations among BSEC Member States.

 

The Working Group will be working towards accomplishment of the following tasks:

 

  1. Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Dialogue
  • Organize regular Working Group meetings (virtual/in-person).
  • Facilitate open discussions on priority customs issues.
  • Promote bilateral and multilateral engagements between BSEC customs administrations.

 

  1. Facilitating Trade and Transit
  • Advocate for the harmonization of customs procedures based on international standards.
  • Promote the implementation of coordinated border management practices.
  • Support pilot projects to test trade facilitation measures in the region.

 

  1. Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing
  • Host workshops, webinars, and seminars.
  • Risk management and post-clearance audit.
  • Digital customs systems.
  • Anti-smuggling and enforcement techniques.
  • Encourage staff exchanges and study visits among customs administrations.
  • Human resource development.

 

  1. Combating Illicit Trade and Customs Offenses
  • Promote enhanced information exchange and cooperation on enforcement.
  • Coordinate joint activities to address controversial issues.
  • Smuggling of narcotics, arms, and counterfeit goods.
  • Customs fraud and undervaluation schemes.
  • Support capacity building in the use of risk profiling tools.

 

  1. Digital Transformation and Innovation
  • Encourage adoption of new technologies in customs (AI, blockchain, IoT).
  • Support the development or integration of national Single Window systems.
  • Promote data exchange standards and digital interoperability among customs systems.

 

  1. Harmonization of Customs Legislation and Procedures
  • Encourage alignment of national customs laws with international best practices.
  • Identify common issues and promote regionally consistent procedures.
  • Explore the development of a BSEC model framework or guidelines on customs simplification.

 


  1. ACTIVITIES AND JOINT PROJECTS:

 

N

Activity

Objective

Expected Result

Time

Venue

1.

Meeting of the Working Group
  • Review and Assessment of activities, projects, and achievements of the Working Group to date.
  • Identification of shared priorities and potential areas for future collaboration.
  • Promotion of mutual understanding and reinforce the commitment to regional cooperation.
  • Establishment of foundation for sustained, results-oriented collaboration within the WG.
  • Common understanding among participants of the WG`s mandate and goals.
  • Agreement on key priorities and potential areas for cooperation.
  • Establishment of a network of contacts to facilitate ongoing communication and collaboration.
  • Clear definition of next steps and responsibilities.

November 24, 2025

Online

2.

Other Meetings of the Working Group

Continuation and further deepening cooperation among the Member States in the respective area

Attainment of the results and outcomes as per the key priorities of the Working Group

2026

2027

-

3.

Compliance risk management workshop

Enhance voluntary compliance, protect revenue, facilitate legitimate customs administration, promote transparency and fairness.
  • Alignment with international best practices.
  • Better use of customs resources
  • Increased compliance rates.

-

-

4.

Strategic conference on combating organized crime, drugs and other smuggling

Strengthen regional security by using new modern analytical tools, methods, and international best practices to identify and prevent illicit drug trafficking chains.
  • More precise and accurate identification of drug trafficking chains using the latest analytical technologies
  • Strengthening international cooperation and data exchange
  • Modernizing border and internal control systems by integrating new technologies.

-

-

5.

Training on Digitalization and the use of Advanced Technologies in Customs

Explore the role of digital tools—such as AI and blockchain in modern customs operations. Promote interoperability and secure data exchange among customs administrations of the BSEC Member States.
  • Mapping of digitalization levels across member states.
  • Action points for harmonizing IT systems and promoting secure data exchange.
  • Exchange of best practices and lessons learned in implementing tech-based customs solutions.

-

-

6.

Meeting on Trade Facilitation and Customs-Business Partnerships
  • The objective of this meeting is to simplify and harmonize customs procedures through tools such as “single window” systems and the AEO framework, while enhancing transparency and reducing trade barriers to facilitate more efficient and predictable cross border trade.
  • Discuss strategies for simplifying and harmonizing customs procedures.
  • Examine models for customs-private sector cooperation (e.g., AEO programs).
  • Identify measures to enhance transparency and reduce trade barriers.
  • Shared strategies for enhancing the efficiency of customs clearance processes.
  • Proposals for public-private dialogue mechanisms within the BSEC framework.
  • Recommendations for aligning with WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement provisions.

-

-

7.

Meeting on Capacity Building and Human Resource Development in Customs

The objective of this project is to identify training needs and technical capacity gaps among customs officers, share national strategies for staff development and professionalization, and explore training programmes and technical exchanges to strengthen institutional capability across.
  • Inventory of capacity-building initiatives across the region.
  • Recommendations for partnerships with WCO, EU, or other relevant bodies.

-

-

8.

Productive management of customs checkpoints
  • Enhance operational efficiency.
  • Improve coordination and communication.
  • Ensure security and regulatory compliance.
  • Optimize use of resources and infrastructure.
  • Reduced clearance time
  • Better use of human and technical resources
  • Enhanced interagency cooperation
  • More consistent application of procedures
  • Increased awareness of International best practices

-

-


                       

  1. Expected Outcomes:

 

  • Strengthened mutual trust and operational collaboration between BSEC customs agencies.
  • Increased efficiency of border procedures and trade flows.
  • Enhanced regional capacity to combat customs-related crime.
  • Greater alignment with international best practices and digital transformation