REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

WORLD CUSTOMS ORGANIZATION OPENED
REGIONAL TRAINING CENTER
IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Capacity building is the basic task of all administrations. But, we believe that building of
these capacities is best done on a regional level. Customs Administrations of one region
have similar challenges and very similar procedures, so why not having a common training
centre through which they can try and overcome the common issues. The solution lies in the
human resources. Through this training centre, the customs administrations of the region
can improve their activities and operations. In the Republic of Macedonia, the Customs
Administration is devoted to enhancement and improvement of these capacities. The
Faculty of Economics at University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje has a long history,
expertise and excellent infrastructure for it, while the Government gives its support to this
Project. Although it is a decision of the World Customs Organisation, the decision for
opening of this Regional Training Centre was passed upon the initiative of this Region. The
training will not be focused solely to the Macedonian customs officers, but to all customs
officers of the region. Through exchange of best practices and training, the Customs
Administrations create a network and develop further cooperation. That is why every
Customs Administration from the region will promote and support modernization. Through
this centre, the university professors and staff will be able to transfer their knowledge to the
people they train. WCO has developed a partnership program called PICARD and for the
last two years, the Faculty of Economics cooperates with us through this programme.
Kunio Mikuriya
Secretary General
World Customs Organization
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