Head of Finnish Customs says EU partly to blame for truck queues at Russian border

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Tapani Erling, Director-General of Finnish Customs, says that the European Union has made it more difficult to solve the problem of intermittent backlogs of lorries trying to cross into Russia.
      Erling says that Finland has been unable to develop systems of electronic data transfer, which would speed up the process, because the European Commission feels that the changes should be implemented in all EU member states at the same time.
      Development of the customs system has not been among the highest priorities of the Commission.
     
Erling believes that the problem is that the EU is only now beginning to understand the opportunities afforded by trade between Russia and the EU, which is why it has been slow at changing antiquated processes.
      "The central role of customs procedures and crime prevention has not been understood", he says.
      During its ongoing EU Presidency, Finland has raised issues involving the EU’s external borders. Customs officials of the EU and its eastern neighbours are to meet in December in Muonio, in Finnish Lapland, where discussions will include issues such as expanding the use of electronics in handling customs.
      Tapani Erling fears that the backlogs of trucks, sometimes reaching lengths of 50 kilometres, will continue to affect highways leading to Finnish border crossings for years to come. He also says that it will take three years before arrangements can be made at the border that would keep the backed-up lorries from disrupting other traffic.
     
Traffic congestion at the Russian border has usually been blamed on Russian customs; when a truck crosses from Finland into Russia, the documentation can undergo more than 50 inspections, by Russian customs officials, the traffic police, and others.
      The Russian Duma is planning measures to move many of the authorities away from the border as a way to speed up the procedure. The officials themselves are staunchly opposed to the proposed changes.
      Nevertheless, Erling says that the problems are not caused by Russia alone. He notes that officials of the two countries do not work together.
      Russian President Vladimir Putin and Finnish President Tarja Halonen are to discuss the issue in Helsinki on Thursday.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Departures of trucks from ports to be staggered to avoid backlog (17.11.2006)

Helsingin Sanomat