Draft Customs Code approved in second reading

Chisinau, 13 August /MOLDPRES/- The draft Customs Code was approved in the second reading, with 55 votes of MPs, in today's plenary session. It is due to be voted on in its third final reading and will enter into force on 1 January 2023.

The project aims at unifying, modernizing and streamlining customs legislation, as well as adjusting it to the commitments assumed by our country through the Association Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union.

The objectives of the document are to improve the quality of services provided by the Customs Service to businesses, increase data security, reduce costs and delays caused by the declaration of goods, reduce the risk of fraud and corruption by online monitoring of customs operations.

The new Customs Code comes to systematize the customs legislation and will include the current Customs Code, the Law on Customs Tariff and the Law on the introduction and removal of goods from the territory of the Republic of Moldova by individuals. It has 11 titles, divided into chapters and sections, with over a thousand pages.

The draft of the new Customs Code of the Republic of Moldova was set up for three years by various teams of government institutions, including the Ministry of Finance, Customs Service, jointly with World Bank experts.

The document is in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Code of the European Union, being coordinated with the specialists of the European Commission.

Photo: Parliament