OSCE Centre in Astana launches series of local seminars on new Customs Code

KOSTANAY, Kazakhstan, 23 September 2010 - The first in a series of OSCE-supported training seminars for local businesses, government and non-government organizations on a new Customs Code and the Customs Union between Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation was launched today in the northern city of Kostanay.

The seminars are organized in co-operation with the Kazakh Customs Committee, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ), NGO "Forum of the Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan" and the local provincial administrations.

More than one hundred representatives from state agencies, corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises, media, international organizations and NGOs are taking part in the Kostanay seminar. The workshop aims to raise awareness of procedures and regulations relating to Customs Union tax legislation and the new Customs Code, which entered into force on 1 July 2010.

"The OSCE Centre is supporting these regional seminars to encourage discussion on the security and practical implications of the new regulations and to stimulate partnerships between the state, private and non-governmental sectors," said Ambassador Alexandre Keltchewsky, the Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana.

The participants will discuss tariff and non-tariff regulations, veterinary and phytosanitary procedures, features of products subject to conformity assessment and tax-charging principles. The seminars also offer an opportunity for the stakeholders to recommend amendments to the Customs Code and the manuals for the Code's implementation.

The seminars are part of efforts to promote good governance at border crossings, to facilitate international transport and trade, and to support small and medium-sized enterprises.