Syria adopts new measures to develop customs' sector

Syria enjoys an important feature represented by the large number of its Customs' secretariats reaching 60 in number that are distributed along land and maritime borders in addition to Syrian airports, Customs General Director Basel Sanoufa said yesterday.

"Syria adopted important steps in the Customs' sector to come up with new requirements, whether on the level of the Syrian-European Association, or other Arab and foreign free trade agreements," Sanoufa told an EU delegation comprising the commercial attaches of the EU embassies in Damascus.

He added that the competent authorities in Syria are studying a new customs' law and a new tariff that will be harmonious with recommendations of the EU and the World Bank.

"We are working now to rehabilitate customs in cooperation with an EU expert, and work is underway to automate all customs' programs in a way that ensures the linkage of all 60 secretariats with two main centers of Damascus and Lattakia," Sanoufa said.

He referred also to the importance of installing modern techniques at border crossing points and other secretariats such as cameras and scanners which could ease burden of work for a more efficient dealings with customers.