7/27/2019 1209222723RD-05_04_08.pdf
2/3
Newspaper RD, 5th
of April 2008
New strategies against evasion and illicit traffics fromEU 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 becoordinated from the team leaders in each of the beneficiary
countries.
During a meeting organized yesterday at Rogner Hotel was made
the officialintroduction of TACTA project from European Union
(Technical Assistance toCustoms and Tax Administration). This
project is of great profit for thecountries of Balkan. The Italian
Agency of Customs will manage the projectinvolving 5 countries of
West Balkan Region: Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina,Kosovo (under UNSCR
1244), Montenegro and Serbia. TACTA project targetis to achieve a
modernization of organizational institutions and
operationalprocedures in compliance with EU standards and to devise
new strategies forthe purpose of repression of evasion and illicit
traffics, underlining that thecountries of region have been always
under influence of the aforementionedphenomenon.
TACTA project was assigned through bid procedure by European
Union to thepublic private consortium ITACA (International
Technical Assistance toCustoms and Tax Administration) which was an
initiative from Italian Agencyof Customs. Public members of
consortium besides the Italian CustomsAgency are the Italian Tax
Agency, Finish Customs and University of Naples.There are also
private partners in the consortium like GEIE, Legal StudioTonucci
& Partners and DMI-Associates.
The Italian consortium has got all potentials to be supported by
partners ofhigh professionalism through the direct participation of
Customs and Tax
Administrations as well as the EU Tax and Customs
Administrations. Theassistance activity will be managed by an
international team of 70 expertswho will provide their assistance
and will be coordinated by team leadersassigned in each of the
beneficiary countries. Representatives of five saidcountries were
present in the meeting as well as representatives fromEuropean
Commission, local and international authorities. The meeting
wasopened with the speech from the Ambassador of European Community
inAlbania Ingve Ingstron who is also in charge of TACTA project in
the DGEnlargement. Ingstrom stated that this is a one-year project
to be guided byan international staff of experts. A comprehensive
regulating legal frameworkwhich would enable to meet some economic
and institutional targets is
expected to be a priority for the customs and tax
administrations of Balkancountries.
7/27/2019 1209222723RD-05_04_08.pdf
3/3
Ingstrom pointed out that this project of 7.1 million Euros aims
to achieveimportant economical and institutional goals like
improvement of commercialexchange through a more transparent legal
framework and considering to putinto effect the recommendations of
EU in the process of Stability andAssociation of the Balkan
countries.
The Vice Minister of Finances Florian Mima said that the
Albaniangovernment put efforts to improve the service of taxes and
customs whichconsisted in computerizing both services thanks also
to the assistance fromEU.
The Head of International Collaboration and Technical Assistance
of ItalianCustoms and Directress of this project brought up a
detailed presentation ofTACTA 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 ofForeign Relation of Italian Customs Agency.
As the aspirations of Balkan countries are to be part of
European Union, theywould have to align the legal framework and
implement it rigorously in order toget closer to EU standards.
