Albanian Customs at the Forefront of the European Integration Process

Tirana, 28 July 2026 – The Director General of Albanian Customs, Mr. Besmir Beja, participated in the press conference held at the Ministry of Finance on the results achieved during the first half of 2026, where he presented the progress of the reforms and strategic investments that are transforming the Albanian Customs Administration as part of Albania's European integration process.

In his remarks, Mr. Beja emphasized that Albanian Customs continues to play a leading role in the country's integration efforts, stressing that upon Albania's accession to the European Union, the Albanian Customs Administration will become part of the EU's external border. For this reason, its modernization remains a strategic priority.

Regarding Chapter 29 – Customs Union, the Director General stated that the Customs Administration is making rapid progress in fulfilling all the closing benchmarks required for the conclusion of negotiations. He noted that the process of accession to the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products has been completed, while the new Customs Code has been fully aligned with European Union legislation and submitted to the relevant EU institutions for consultation. The accompanying secondary legislation has also been prepared, bringing Albania closer to the full alignment of its customs legislation with the EU acquis.

Another key pillar of the reform is the modernization of information technology systems. In this context, the Albanian Customs Administration has signed an agreement with UNCTAD for the implementation of a new customs system that will be fully harmonized with EU systems. The new platform will introduce modern technologies, including Artificial Intelligence to support risk analysis, tariff classification, and customs valuation.

According to the implementation plan, the first module of the new system is scheduled to become operational by December this year, while the majority of the system is expected to be deployed during 2027, with full implementation of all customs systems targeted by 2030.

The Director General also highlighted the strengthening of the institutional and administrative capacities of Albanian Customs. He referred to the positive results of the monitoring mission conducted in March by experts from EU Member States and the European Commission, who assessed the Albanian Customs Administration's ability to implement EU customs legislation and fulfil its future role as part of the European Union's external border.

Following the recommendations of that mission, the Customs Administration is working on establishing a new organizational structure that will fundamentally reshape the institution's operational model. The reform aims to maximize trade facilitation at border crossing points while strengthening Post Clearance Audit (PCA) in line with the best practices of EU customs administrations. This approach will enhance the effectiveness of customs controls, reduce border processing times, and ensure more efficient customs revenue administration.

In conclusion, Mr. Beja underlined that the Albanian Customs Administration is advancing rapidly in its modernization and alignment with European standards, remaining one of the leading institutions in Albania's European integration process.

Excerpts from the Director General's Remarks

"I am always pleased to say that Albanian Customs is at the forefront of the European integration process. Albania will become an external border of the European Union, and Albanian Customs will, in essence, become Customs for the entire European Union. That is precisely why we are fully committed to ensuring that this process advances as quickly and effectively as possible.

Within Chapter 29, we have four closing benchmarks covering legislative alignment, information technology systems, strengthening institutional and administrative capacities, and accession to the WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. The latter has already been successfully completed.

As the Minister also emphasized, the new Customs Code has been fully aligned with EU legislation and submitted to the European Union services. We are now awaiting their final opinion, with the objective of having the Code adopted by Parliament in September. The secondary legislation has already been prepared and, once the new Code enters into force, the implementing provisions will also be adopted, completing the full alignment of Albania's customs legislation with that of the European Union.

We are also making strong progress in the field of information technology systems. Customs is, above all, a digital system—every customs procedure is processed electronically. For this reason, we have signed the agreement with UNCTAD for the implementation of a new customs system. Besides being fully aligned with EU standards, the system will introduce entirely new technologies, including Artificial Intelligence for risk analysis, tariff classification, and customs valuation.

Our objective is to implement the first module of the new system—the export module—by December this year. During 2027, we expect to deploy the majority of the system, while the overall implementation of all customs systems is planned to be completed by 2030. At present, however, we are progressing even faster than originally anticipated.

Regarding our administrative and operational capacities, I believe we are on a very positive path. In March, we hosted a monitoring mission composed of experts from EU Member States and the European Commission to assess the Albanian Customs Administration's capacity to implement EU legislation and fulfil its future role as an external border of the European Union. The assessment report was highly positive and encouraging.

One of our major upcoming reforms is the establishment of a new organizational structure for the Customs Administration. Our objective is to change the institution's operational philosophy by ensuring that customs procedures are facilitated as much as possible at the border, while controls are increasingly carried out through Post Clearance Audit.

This approach will strengthen our capacity to verify, after customs clearance, that procedures have been correctly completed and that all customs obligations have been properly fulfilled. It will reduce pressure at border crossing points, minimize opportunities for evasion and non-compliance, and ensure a more efficient and modern customs administration.

I firmly believe that Albanian Customs is on the right path and will continue to remain at the forefront of Albania's European integration process."