What is the object of the project?

The object of the project is the implementation, for the Independent Authority of Public Revenue (IAPR) and more specifically for the Customs Service, of an integrated system for the control and registration of trucks and containers when crossing land border points and customs offices of ports in the country, as well as the digital monitoring of their movement during their circulation within the Greek territory.

In particular, under the contract the Contractor shall perform the following:

• supply, install and commission equipment (crossbars, automatic number plate recognition and registration (ANPRR) cameras etc.;
• develop the Hellenic (Integrated) Customs Digital Borders (HCDB) system for the management of vehicle and container traffic monitoring;
• provide services (installation of equipment, preparation of studies, training of users, etc.).

What are the purpose and objectives of the project?

The project being implemented seeks to prevent and suppress smuggling –especially in the sectors of products that are subject to excise duties, namely petroleum, tobacco and alcohol and other consumption taxes (coffee, electronic cigarettes, etc.) through the integrated control of the movement of their means of transport.
The installation and operation of the System will contribute to the expansion of the operational capability for the surveillance of freight flows throughout the territory, placing an emphasis on high crime risk areas (land borders, ports, central transport hubs), as those have been developed on the basis of specific geomorphological characteristics of our country, in combination with the tax policy of the neighbouring countries (need to carry out checks on important freight roads for combating smuggling in the movement of products subject to excise duties, e.g. movement to and from Bulgaria and Italy). Each vehicle selected by the customs service, depending on the cargo risk or the customs or non-customs document, shall be equipped with a GPS Tracker. The driver will have to pay for the GPS Tracker by lodging a security and hand it over at the destination point, whether an inland customs office or a customs office of exit, to be refunded the security deposit.
In addition to checking the completion of the route, the course of the vehicle, any deviation from the normal route, etc. shall also be checked through the Operating Room Centre (KETHA). Furthermore, it will also be possible for toll stations to provide information from crossing points through interoperability as they will also transmit pictures of truck crossings. Mobile Control Teams equipped with new mobile x-Ray technology phones, ALPR mobile cameras and scales for axle weighing of suspect trucks will be operating (24/7) within the above toll stations.
In addition, the implementation of the System is part of a dynamic process for the expansion and modernization of IT systems and tools for risk analysis purposes, with the aim of carrying out effective preventive tax and customs controls and prosecutions while, at the same time, allowing the collection of big data for processing and analysis, for the purpose of mapping the movements of freight consignments and vehicles, in conjunction with customs procedures, entry and exit portals, mydata, e-timologio, e-dispatch note, e-CMR, road axes, productive activity concentration areas and logistics.
Finally, the project being implemented facilitates the redesign of the customs monitoring system under the temporary vehicle importation arrangements in the direction of simplification and centralization of the applied procedure, as the registration of arrivals and departures of vehicles with foreign plates makes it possible to obtain accurate data on the time of entry and exit of vehicles into/from the Country, and also facilitates automated crime control by the Mobile Control Teams.

What are the expected benefits?

The planned project will be an effective means of fulfilling and achieving the operational objectives of the Customs Service. In the light of the above analysis, the establishment of an integrated network for monitoring the consignments of goods under customs surveillance will enable the coordination of the action of the strategic and operational planning services with the operational control authorities (including their mobile control teams), promoting and strengthening their control work. More generally, it will contribute to tackling cross-border crime and combating the smuggling of products, by monitoring the consignments entering and leaving the country, with an emphasis on products subject to excise duties, enabling the competent customs authorities to better identify high-risk consignments and intervene at the most appropriate point in the supply chain.

This project is expected to contribute to addressing the following needs:

• the increased need to control the entry and exit of vehicles;
• the monitoring of the special temporary vehicle importation arrangements within the country;
• the monitoring of key points of physical control of trucks and containers;
• the monitoring of goods handled under any customs procedure or procedure requiring monitoring of the movement of goods;
• the fulfilment of the requirements of cooperation with other areas of public administration and interoperability with respective information systems;
• ensuring the overall monitoring of vehicle crossings from and to the country through electronic exchange of data with other relevant national systems.

The project will lead to the development of a holistic system for monitoring the movement of commercial means of transport and goods, from its placing under a customs procedure.