Crown Agents and the Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia jointly organised a regional customs seminar in Skopje, Macedonia on the 17th -18th June funded by The Crown Agents Foundation.
Macedonian Customs Administration director-general, Vanco Kargov, was joined by the British Ambassador, Christopher Yvon and Crown Agents' chief executive, Terence Jagger to formally open the seminar which involved senior customs officials from Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Turkey, together with experts from the UK, Slovenia and Bulgaria and was aimed at addressing issues faced by customs administrations in preparation for EU accession.
Participants were provided with an opportunity to learn about managing the challenges associated with the accession process, the importance of sharing experiences on the road to EU membership and the challenges in managing change.
Extended discussions of an informal nature on issues such as how to maximise the impact of EC-funded projects and the development of management skills, have prompted participants to request more seminars to be held in this way.
David Smith, principal Crown Agents advisor to the Customs Administration of Macedonia said, "From feedback we have received, this was a very successful event. We can all benefit from the exchange of ideas and experiences and use these to assist countries in preparing for EU accession."
Director-general Kargov also stated that the event had been a great success and that the participants have obtained very valuable advice and information on many issues.