Furthermore, this project provides for the reduction of customs procedure duration to 24 hours upon cargo entry into Russia, preparations for the introduction of new technology in these transports, the “SUW 2000” automatic gauge change system for rolling stock axles, and a shipment monitoring system along the entire transport route. The overarching goal of these four-party initiatives is to double the current level of transit transport, including container transport, on the C-E 20 main line in the II Pan-European Transport Corridor by 2006.
The development of Eurasian rail transport, including container transport, is supported by the content of the Declaration of the VI Interdepartmental Meeting of representatives of customs, border, and railway authorities and ministries of transport of the member countries of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD), which took place on October 21-23, 2003, in Sochi (Russian Federation). Members of this Organization include ministries of transport and central state bodies managing railways in 27 countries of Europe and Asia, including Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Participants of this meeting appealed to their respective governments regarding:
• recognition of UNECE Resolution No. 50 on the use of the SMGS consignment note as a customs transit declaration and support for the ratification process of the Convention on International Customs Transit Procedures for the Carriage of Goods by Rail, also developed by the UNECE in Geneva,
• contributing to the adoption and implementation of joint comprehensive measures by border, customs, and railway authorities aimed at reducing the time required for formalities related to crossing borders by rail, primarily within the framework of OSJD transport corridors,
• supporting the creation of a unified information space for the transport systems of OSJD member countries, including the structures of border and customs authorities.
• contributing to the adoption and implementation of joint comprehensive measures by border, customs, and railway authorities aimed at reducing the time required for formalities related to crossing borders by rail, primarily within the framework of OSJD transport corridors,
• supporting the creation of a unified information space for the transport systems of OSJD member countries, including the structures of border and customs authorities.
Border and customs authorities of their countries were addressed regarding, among other things:
• initiating cooperation with railways to reduce border crossing times within OSJD rail corridors,
• mutual trust and the development of relations between the customs authorities of the countries through which a given transport corridor runs.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2004.