Albanian Customs receives a positive assessment from CEFTA for the Validation of AEOS

The CEFTA Validation Team, under the supervision of DG TAXUD, at the end of several days of evaluation in Tirana, concluded that the Albanian Customs Programme for Authorized Economic Operators with regard to the safety and security (AEOS). has met the standards of the CEFTA Additional Protocol 5, receiving a positive opinion.

During the activity organized for this purpose with the support of the CEFTA Secretariat, the Director General of Albanian Customs, Mr. Genti Gazheli estimated that the mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators (AEOS) between CEFTA parties will facilitate the trade for the economic operators who will benefit from this status and provide great advantages to them.

Albania, North Macedonia and Serbia already have signed bilateral agreements on mutual recognition of AEOS in the framework of the "Open Balkan" initiative and the same agreement has been negotiated at the technical level with Kosovo. The agreement with Kosovo is expected to be signed at the joint meeting of the two governments which would be held on June 24, 2022.

"During 2021 we received the first 8 applications mainly from the most consolidated and most correct economic operators in the relationship with the Customs Administration, and the status of Authorized Economic Operators was approved. The interest expresed by other 9 operators to obtain the status of Authorized Economic Operator is an indicator of the increased trust in the Customs Administration and prove the fact that the advantages of AEO status are efficient ", said Gazheli.