Customs Programme

In order to support cooperation among customs authorities in the European Union and to protect the financial and economic interests of member states, a budget of €950 million has been allocated for the Customs Programme during the 2021-2027 financial period. Our country made the decision to participate in the Customs Programme with the principle decision of the Board of EU Programmes and Agencies on October 27, 2020. The national coordinator of the programme is the Ministry of Trade.

The Customs Programme carries out activities aimed at cooperation among customs officials, including the sharing of information related to laws and practices, customs policies, and best practices. The programme is implemented with the relevant public institutions of the participating countries without a call for proposals.

Within the scope of the programme:

• Seminars and workshops involving delegations from all participant countries are organized.
• Study visits are conducted to facilitate the sharing of information regarding customs.
• Structural cooperation activities based on projects are carried out by project groups, operational task forces, and teams conducting monitoring activities.
• Actions for human capacity development and enhancing professional skills through joint training and e-learning activities are ongoing.
• IT capacity development activities are conducted regarding the development and operationalization of European electronic systems.
• Supporting actions, including innovation activities, studies, and jointly developed communication activities, are carried out.

The participation agreement of our country for the Customs Programme for the 2021-2027 period was signed on November 15, 2022, and the relevant agreement was published in the Official Gazette on March 9, 2023, entering into force.