Leading DHL concludes agreement with customs department

  • 2000-01-27
Vilnius (ELTA) - The Lithuanian customs department and parcel transporter DHL International Lietuva sealed a deal Jan. 25 in Vilnius to curb drug traffic.

The document was signed by Rimantas Satkauskas, the acting chief of the customs department and the DHL director for operations in northern Europe, Brendan Kelly.

The joint efforts will cover prevention of drugs smuggling and other banned substances, customs fraud, and measures to help DHL to identify and interrupt movement of illegal substances.

With the purpose of implementing effectively the provisions of agreement, an additional protocol has been signed on appointment of contact persons in both institutions. The customs department also committed itself to provide training to DHL personnel in detecting drugs and handling properly the suspected dispatches.

The acting customs chief has stressed the importance of ties between customs services and business associations. Admitting that a multitude of pending problems did exist, the officer said he also saw the solutions.

Satkauskas expressed hope that this year Lithuania would achieve a breakthrough in simplification of customs procedures. As to the agreement with DHL, he said he qualified it as a higher level of more successful co-operation with this company. Kelly, speaking on behalf of DHL, affirmed his expectations for professional cooperation and referred to a similar memorandum signed with the Estonian customs administration and ongoing talks with Poland and Latvia.

In the Lithuanian market, DHL is holding the leading position, with other three competitors – UPS, TNT and Federal Express – handling the remaining 40 percent of the market. In 1999, DHL received and dispatched 133,000 parcels.