RUSSIAN AND LITHUANIAN CUSTOMS TO ELECTRONICALLY PROCESS RUSSIAN CARGOS TRAVELING VIA LITHUANIA

MOSCOW, March 11, 2004. (RIA Novosti) The Russian State Customs Committee and the Lithuanian Customs Department are considering introduction of electronic workflow system to process cargos on transit via Lithuania, the press service of the RF State Customs Committee reported.

On Monday, Moscow hosted another session of the Moscow International Club of Customs Attache, which touched upon an issue concerning cargo transit from the Kaliningrad Region - Russia's western exclave on the Baltic Sea - to continental Russia via Lithuania after its accession to the European Union on May 1, 2004.

"Both Russian and Lithuanian experts are working hard to agree on the key technical issues necessary to put the 'Kalinigrad transit system' into operation." At present, the transit issue has not yet been settled.

Representative of the Lithuanian Customs Department Valdas Kubinas said that businessmen and customs officers from the countries adjoining to Lithuania have nothing to worry about. "Lithuania plans to smoothly join the EU transportation and transit system as the country has been working on it for a long time," Mr Kubinas said.