Podgorica, (MINA-BUSINESS) – According to a team of EU experts, the Customs Administration of Montenegro has demonstrated a high level of readiness and compliance with European standards.

In its preliminary report, the EU expert team noted that the Customs Administration shows both a high level of professionalism and transparency in its work, along with the dedication of its staff.

The team concluded that significant institutional and organizational progress has been made in recent years, with an emphasis on the need to strengthen human resources.

“It has been recognized that the Customs Administration consistently improves readiness, knowledge, and capacity in key areas of customs procedures, which has been fully confirmed through practical on-site inspections,” the Customs Administration stated in a press release.

Experts from the European Commission expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation, openness, and organization during the mission, which also marks an important step in further harmonization with the European customs framework.

The EC expert team from the Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD), together with representatives of the customs administrations of EU member states – Germany, the Netherlands, Croatia, and Slovenia – carried out a monitoring mission at the Customs Administration from 1 to 5 December.

The purpose of the mission was to assess administrative capacities, analyze compliance with European regulations, and evaluate the efficiency of organizational and operational processes under the Customs Administration’s responsibility, in light of the provisional closure of Chapter 29 – Customs Union, expected by the end of the second quarter of next year.