Synchronized digital queue booking for Belarusian-Polish border

Suggestions have been made to synchronize the system for digital booking of queue spots at the Belarusian-Polish border. The information was released by Jacek Kapica, Polish Deputy Finance Minister, Director General of the Polish Customs Service, after a working meeting of the heads of the Belarusian and Polish customs services at the automobile border checkpoint Kozlovichi on 16 July, BelTA has learned.

Jacek Kapica said that the Polish side was about to implement a pilot project to allow truck drivers to digitally book the time they would like to cross the border. The project is supposed to start at the border checkpoint Koroszczyn–Kozlovichi in early 2015. In turn, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Belarus (SCC) Alexander Shpilevsky remarked that a similar system was being prepared for launch on the Belarusian side, too. “Tight interaction is required for the successful implementation of the project. I think it would be advisable to exchange specialists of the customs services,” said the head of Belarus’ Customs.

The proposal of the Belarusian side was backed by the Polish delegation. “Each side will take care of the organization of the digital queue on its own. But the overall process will be synchronized on the basis of the tetralateral agreement on mutual cooperation signed by representatives of the customs services and the border services of Belarus and Poland. Each side will have an understanding and will have information regarding the situation in the bordering state,” stated Jacek Kapica.

The Polish official told BelTA that the implementation of the project will require infrastructure changes. “The development of the infrastructure will primarily require the creation of a large number of information boards. The boards will be used to indicate at what time a certain road train is supposed to arrive at the border checkpoint. As far as Poland is concerned, such digital tables will be placed on the motorway from Biala Podlaska to the border checkpoint. It has to be done to allow truck drivers to use services of motels, parking lots, refueling stations, so that truck drivers could have some rest or refuel their vehicles and arrive at the border checkpoint exactly on time,” explained the head of Poland’s Customs.

During the meeting the sides also discussed other topical matters of interaction between the Belarusian and Polish customs services. Close attention was paid to prospects of changing the status of the border checkpoints Domachevo-Slovatichi and Peschatka-Polovtsy, to facilitating border-crossing procedures for passengers and cargoes, the organization of the monitoring of control operations via border checkpoints, the effectiveness of the system used to notify about emergencies at the Belarusian-Polish land border in advance.