The head of Polish customs officers, minister Jacek Kapica, assured that our border services, including the Customs Service in his charge, are well prepared to handle increased fan traffic related to EURO. The preparations comprise three basic elements – border and customs control in one place, EURO 2012-dedicated green lanes, and a special customs clearance mode for coaches carrying football fans.Joint border control will feature as an innovative solution on the EU external border, prepared to handle passenger traffic for the duration of UEFA EURO 2012™. In substance, this solution comes down to the performance of control activities together in one place by 4 border services of both countries. The head of the Customs Service assured that thanks to such a solution, football fans will be processed in an express mode in approximately 10 minutes.
The 'green lanes' dedicated to EURO 2012 fans will be created on the basis of so-called green corridors already in operation on the Polish-Ukrainian border. These are lanes designated as "Nothing to Declare" and designed for travellers crossing the border with strictly tourist purposes or on business. Such a lane can be used solely and exclusively upon fulfilment of the fundamental condition, i.e. crossing the border without any goods and
commodities subject to customs duties. A green corridor of this type has been in operation at the Korczowa-Krakowiec border crossing since autumn 2010.Special customs clearance mode for coaches carrying football fans is a solution for organised tourist groups. The procedure will be executed without the need for travellers to leave their vehicles and it will be limited to the bare indispensable minimum. The condition for taking advantage of this type of clearance is a prior notification of a border crossing post of the arrival of such a group. One of the customs clearance variants discussed during the conference is the customs clearance on-board of a coach approaching a border crossing or, alternatively, on parking sites located before border crossings.
Minister Jacek Kapica warned against taking advantage of all conveniences for fans by persons wishing to use the opportunities offered by the Tournament to smuggle goods or to break law (including intellectual property). 'Persons carrying excessive amounts of alcohol from the east to later peddle it at a border bazaar will be strictly prosecuted,' Kapica assured.
SOURCE, PHOTO: PL.2012
