Commission Report 2002 (Hungary)

Chapter 25: Customs Union

The alignment in the area of customs free zones with the provisions of the acquis has not been completed and requires further efforts. The administrative capacity has been further strengthened and customs officers have been trained, as foreseen in the Action Plan, although the training needs to be increased. As regards the computerisation process of the Hungarian customs administration, which the Accession Partnership considered to be in need of urgent action, Hungary has taken significant steps to revitalise the development of interconnectivity-enabling systems. The Hungarian IT system contains all information relating to customs procedures. The preparations for joining the CCN/CSI are under way. A national Inter-Operability Implementation Strategy was finalised in January 2002 and additional staff was recruited for its implementation over the next two years. Further substantial efforts still need to be made to prepare the ground for a well functioning EC-compatible IT system, which is an urgent Action Plan priority. Overall, the priorities in the area of customs union have been partially met. The implementation of the Action Plan is on track.