From 3 to 5 February 2022, at the invitation of Mr. Miro Džakula, Director General of the Indirect Taxation Authority (ITA) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) visited ITA’s headquarters in Banja Luca, Bosnia & Herzegovina, to discuss Customs modernization with the ITA management team and political leaders in Sarajevo.
Secretary General Mikuriya had a meeting with Mr. Džakula and the ITA management team to identify Customs’ needs and priorities, including resources and the need for political support.
In Sarajevo, Dr. Mikuriya visited the Custom’s cargo and passenger sections at the Airport Customs and observed the operations on the ground. He also had exchange of views with the management of the regional Customs to identify the bottlenecks to further improve the situation.
Secretary General Mikuriya met with the Mr. Staša Košarac, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations in charge of Customs policy. They agreed on the need to enhance Customs capacity in compliance with international standards such as the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention, to explore further strengthening of the regional Customs cooperation, as well as other areas where additional resources was required. Dr. Mikuriya also met with Ms. Bisera Turković, the Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and explained the importance for cross-border regulatory agencies to meet procedural and legal needs of Customs, as well as the technological developments and the the human resource requirements for an effective Customs reform. He added that Customs regional networks fit in the broader framework of regional cooperation. Both Ministers agreed to provide their support for Customs reform despite the challenging political landscape that could cause a slow progress.