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Customs cooperation
Bulgaria is further preparing for the implementation upon accession of the Convention on Mutual Assistance and Cooperation between Customs Administrations of 18 December 1997 and of the Convention on the use of information technology for customs purposes of 26 July 1995. Bulgaria will make reservations to special forms of cooperation provided for in articles 20 (8), 21 and 23 (5). In the context of its preparation Bulgaria is increasing the capacity of the Customs Administration to deter and detect custom offences as provided in the Customs Act and the Road Traffic Act. Mobile customs teams are being trained and the existing five teams have been reinforced by three others at the end of 2002 and by another two during the second quarter of 2003.
An amendment to the Penal Procedure Code introduced in order to provide custom officials with powers to carry our criminal investigations for custom offences entered into force on 24 June 2003. As regards Bulgaria’s preparations for implementing the 1995 Convention on the Use of Information Technology for Custom Purposes, in December 2002 the Rules for the Implementation of the Classified Information Protection Act were adopted. As regards the fight against "irregularities", corruption among others, internal control has been further improved through on-the-spot checks, enhanced control on the financial status of Custom Administration officials at all levels and the establishment of a Custom Officer Motivation Fund, financed by the state budget. The fund amounted to 1,8 million euros in 2002, and 475,000 euros for the first quarter of 2003.
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