Letenye
Letenye
The available EUR 2,500,000 in PHARE funds were fully committed before 30 September 2000. The contract was submitted to the EU’s Embassy in Budapest on 6 July 2000, and they approved it on 25 July 2000.
The net contractual value amounts to EUR 7.16 M, of which EUR 2.5 M are PHARE funds, the Hungarian party co-finances EUR 4.66 M. Delivery of the area took place on 7 September 2000.
The Customs and Finance Guard was granted PHARE support for the implementation of BTI and BOI in the framework of the National Program in 1998. Under the legislation in force, these systems will begin to function in Hungary as of 1 January 2001. The implementation of BTI and BOI requires a well-equipped customs laboratory where examinations necessary for the tariff classification of goods can be carried out. The Customs and Finance Guard’s Institute for Chemical Analyses is currently being equipped and manned with the adequate number of specialists from PHARE funds.
Regarding PHARE programs, it is of great importance that on 12 September 2000 Imre Boros, minister without portfolio responsible for PHARE affairs, and Michael Lake, EU Ambassador signed the COP 2000 PHARE national program on EUR 65 million in support to be committed by October 2002.
To realize the twinning programs included in the COP 2000 program, the Hungarian customs authorities’ needs were announced to the EU member states, in response to which the customs authorities of Spain and Germany made their respective offers to provide assistance covering all areas of the topics indicated and assistance concerning mobile units. Once received, the written bids were presented on 22 September 2002 in the presence of representatives of the European Union’s Embassy, of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Customs and Finance Guard’s Integration Office. The Integration Office opted for the Spanish bid, covering the following topics:
• Migration;
• Money laundering;
• Protection of secrets;
• Common agricultural policy;
• CIS system;
• TARIC;
• Customs procedures with economic effect;
• Origin.
The detailed elaboration of the topics and of their practical implementation are still progress which makes it possible to prepare in the near future the bilateral agreement that will specify the professional assistance in the above topics, broken down by the specialist and a schedule thereof.
To widen civil servants’ knowledge about the EU, using PHARE funds, the Péter Pázmány Catholic University organized, within the framework of the Tempus program, a further training course, which was attended by employees from the Customs and Finance Guard’s specialist departments and Integration Office, between 1 October and 15 December 2000.
