On November 8, 2024, the National Organization of Customs Agents (NOCA) celebrated 25 years since its foundation, and the event was marked by holding an international practical conference under the title "Customs of the Future". Among the participants were representatives of the organization's members, the Customs Agency, the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Academy "D. A. Tsenov" - Svishtov, partners from Lithuania, Hungary, Germany, Finland and Northern Ireland.
The conference was opened by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Momchil Antov, chairman of the Board of Directors of NOCA, who briefly presented the organization and the results of the activities of its members in 2023. The representativeness of NOCA in the customs circles in our country and the share of processed imports were emphasized, export and transit by its member customs agents. Assoc. Prof. Antov also presented some of the results of the work carried out with colleagues from Academy of economic "D. A. Tsenov", Svishtov survey among customs officials and economic operators in the Republic of Bulgaria regarding the European Commission's 2023 proposal for a New European Customs Reform. It was she who was the main subject of discussions during the event.
At the beginning of the first panel, Prof. Dr. Hans-Michael Wolfgang from the Institute of Customs and International Trade Law at the University of Münster, Germany, introduced the participants to the main aspects of the Reform and its impact on customs brokers in the EU. Prof. Wolfgang drew attention to the fact that, unfortunately, it has as its main focus the reorganization of customs control and the work of customs authorities, while almost no attention has been paid to business and the simplification of customs formalities. In this regard, the proposal for Reform in its form represents a serious challenge for customs brokers and the future of their profession.
Mrs. Iliana Tsolovska, director of the "Follow-up Control" Directorate at the BG Customs Agency, introduced the conference participants to one of the main changes concerning business, namely the transformation of Approved Economic Operators (AEO) into Trusted and Check Traders (T&C). It was emphasized that the new statute will be built based on partnership and transparency between customs and business with the aim of digitization and automation of customs processes based on more effective risk management.
Continuing the discussion on the competences and responsibilities of customs brokers in the EU, Ms. Enrika Naujoke, director of the Lithuanian Customs Practitioners Association (LCPA) and founder of CustomsClear presented the possibility of certification of customs brokers in the EU. Her main thesis was that to be treated as a profession of strategic (high) importance in the light of the Customs Union reform, perhaps action is needed to recognize and validate them as proven professionals in the customs field by the New European Customs Authority (EU Customs Authority). It is worrying that in the reform proposal customs brokers will have a limited role, which will ultimately lead to risks to the existence of the profession.
During the second panel of the Conference, Mr. Kolyo Kolev, director of the "ISAD" Directorate of the BG Customs Agency, presented the possibilities for digitalization of some customs processes at the customs points of the country - the systems for managing queues and traffic at border crossings. Mr. Kolev emphasized the fact that in recent years the number of freight vehicles passing through the Bulgarian borders has increased by 67%, which is a serious challenge both for the border and transport infrastructure, and for the customs administration itself. This necessitates the development of new approaches to optimize the customs processing of cargo at land borders, and the Customs Agency is actively working in this direction.
Mr. Georgi Ganev, executive director of IBM Bulgaria, presented to the participants the possibilities of using artificial intelligence in customs processes, sharing some examples of progress in this regard in the implementation of joint projects with the Customs Agency.
Mrs. Enrica Naujoque made a demonstration of PICOCO, AI Customs Knowledge Assistant, a pilot project of the Lithuanian Customs presented just one month ago at the WCO Data Innovation Hub. The application processes inquiries on customs matters and provides quick answers based on official information found on the website of Lithuanian customs and in the current customs legislation.
After the Conference, the celebrations continued with an official ceremony and Gala dinner on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of NOCA, during which all guests had the opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices, as well as to have fun together.
