TULLI - TULL - CUSTOMS

Cooperation between Finnish authorities

Being an executive authority, Finnish Customs has responsibilities that extend to the sphere of authority not only of the Ministry of Finance but also of several other ministries.

In the administration of EU commercial policy, Customs is an assisting partner to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and in this task has close connections also to The Ministry of Employment and the Economy (MEE), the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, and business interest groups.

On behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, Customs collects oil damage duty.

Customs collect annually tens of millions of euros in fairway dues on behalf of the Finnish Maritime Administration and similar amounts in supply security fees for the National Emergency Supply Agency.

Customs cooperates with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on many levels, for instance in the information services on exportation of agricultural products and in the monitoring of EU export regulations.

Customs also cooperates with the Ministry of Transport and Communications in many areas, for example by inspecting the roadworthiness of heavy haulage vehicles at the eastern border of Finland.

In the so-called PCB cooperation (Police, Customs and Border Guard), Customs has an essential role. Customs also cooperates with the Ministry of the Interior on the implementation of the Internal Security Programme.

Finnish Customs cooperates with the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) in the implementation of the Internal Security Programme.

International cooperation

Finnish Customs participates in various committee and working group meetings within the European Commission and the Council of the European Union. At these meetings, legislation and decisions are prepared to ensure that customs measures are as uniform as possible within the EU, and customs cooperation operations are agreed on. The decisions include for example decisions on which tariff heading to use for a certain item in the customs declaration. The tariff heading, in its turn, defines the duty to be collected, as well as possible taxes and import restrictions to be imposed.

Finnish Customs participates in the work of the World Customs Organization (WCO). The organisation aims to harmonise the implementation of conventions under its administration and to globally simplify customs procedures. One of the best-known achievements of the WCO is the red/green channel system for passengers at customs clearance.

Finland has signed bilateral customs cooperation agreements with various countries. The agreements enable international cooperation, for instance in customs control and in customs crime prevention.

Customs cooperation between the Nordic countries is close and successful. Finland has joint customs offices with both Sweden and Norway with customs officials from both countries. The administrative cooperation with the other neighbouring areas - Russia and the Baltic countries- is also very significant.

More Information

Published: 5/20/09 © Finnish Customs 2010 Print page