July 2, in Vladivostok, on the basis of a subsidiary of the Interregional Information and Analytical Center for the Purpose and Supply Security in the Far Eastern Federal District (IIAC FE), the country’s first Public Admission Office of the Public Council under the FCS of Russia has opened.

Public Council at the FCS: movement to the regions

The Public Council (PC) monitors the activities of the customs service, including the consideration of drafts of socially significant normative legal acts being developed, it is involved in monitoring the quality of public services, and also provides a constructive dialogue between customs authorities and business.

At the initial stage, interaction was established at the level of the central office of the FCS. This year, the PC focused its attention on interaction with the regions, since a number of issues requiring elaboration are regional in nature. In addition, the local business is ready to clearly formulate questions for the customs authorities.

They know better locallyше

In the Address of the President of the Russian Federation to the Federal Assembly on January 15, 2020, the task was set for all institutions of power to establish a direct dialogue with citizens: “People often know better what, why and how to change where they live, work, – in cities, districts, villages , countrywide”. At its level, the Public Council under the FCS of Russia began the implementation of this task from the Far East. During a visit to the Far Eastern Customs Administration in October 2019, the Chairman of the Public Council at the FCS of Russia Leonid Lozbenko took part in a meeting of the Advisory Council of the Far Eastern Customs Administration on interaction with participants in foreign economic activity. In his speech, he voiced a number of proposals for optimizing the work of the customs authorities of the region, which are emphasized by entrepreneurs of the Far Eastern region in the appeals received by the Council.

First results

An October visit, Leonid Lozbenko unofficially laid the foundation for the activities of the Public Council in Primorye. Local businessmen, participants of foreign economic activity got real support – a structure that you can always turn to for help if attempts to find a common language with local customs officers have been futile!

The first results were not long in coming. For example, delays in dispensing containers from the customs control zone of the seaport of Vladivostok upon completion of control measures after the release of such goods, which many entrepreneurs complained about, were excluded.

If a previously interested person was forced to obtain written permission for goods to cross the borders of the customs control zone for presentation to the port terminal operator, which could take several days, now the customs post processes such applications via e-mail and duplicates the positive decision to the port terminal operator . A survey of 15 signatory companies of the Charter of Bona fide FEA Participants shows that cargo delays no longer occur. The time for port workers to obtain permission was reduced from a few days to tens of minutes.

A solution has been found and the problems of filing passenger customs declarations for motor vehicles delivered by the carrier to individuals.

Earlier, customs systematically revealed the facts of the import of such goods to individuals who are not related to either the purchase or the declaration of goods. In fact, copies of the documents of an individual obtained, often without his knowledge, were used for import. When submitting a passenger customs declaration by a customs representative without the personal presence of an individual recipient of goods, customs applied a whole range of measures to minimize risks aimed at establishing the fact of the acquisition of goods by the person on whose behalf the declaration was filed. This significantly increased the time of customs operations, increased the cost of storing goods in temporary storage warehouses.

In the dialogue between the customs representatives and the customs authority, an algorithm for conducting documentary control was developed, which allows qualitatively and quickly to perform customs operations in relation to the category of goods under consideration and to ensure the rights and legitimate interests of citizens. The mechanism for the provision by the customs representative of notarized copies of physical passports for customs control turned out to be a “working” option, which excludes the very possibility of using “foreign” documents for the import and clearance of goods. Based on the results of the meeting, customs representatives expressed a desire to sign the Charter of conscientious participants in foreign economic activity. In February of this year, customs representatives confirmed the effectiveness of the measures taken, as well as reducing the time for customs declaration and the cost of storing goods.

The official opening of the Public Reception in Primorye

For entrepreneurs of the Far East, the country’s first public reception office of the Public Council under the FCS of Russia began its work officially in early July. Dozens of guests gathered at the opening ceremony, in particular: Leonid Arkadyevich Lozbenko, Chairman of the Public Council at the FCS of Russia, Gleb Aleksandrovich Kich Klich, representatives of the Government of the Primorsky Territory, the Ministry of Far East Development, the Far East Development Corporation, the leaders of IIAC and IIAC FE, as well as a number of non-profit organizations and business communities of the Primorsky Territory.

“One of the key tasks of the Public Council under the FCS of Russia is the correct positioning of the customs service in the system of state institutions of power through a constructive dialogue between the customs service and the business community!” – said L.A. during his speech Lozbenko.

The opening of the Public Reception OS at the FCS of Russia at FECO perfectly characterizes the above interaction.

Why FEFD

The Far Eastern Federal District, as the main gateway to the East, is of particular interest today. Today it is one of the most dynamically developing regions. One of the main goals of the country’s foreign trade policy is the integration of the Russian economy in the Asia-Pacific region.

According to experts, it is in the Far East that it is necessary to accumulate real opportunities for expanding foreign trade relations between partner countries, stimulate business development, and increase the convenience of doing business for entrepreneurs.

Is it comfortable to do business in the Far East now? Many entrepreneurs are likely to answer this question negatively today.

The pandemic also left its mark on the local business and its participants – hundreds of small and medium-sized companies with border closures were forced to cease operations.

A more detailed photo report is in a separate material.