From March 20-21, in coordination with Kosovo Customs, CLDP conducted its second workshop on single window and cross-border management for 20 customs and border police officials in Pristina, Kosovo. Following CLDP’s initial workshop on the topic in September 2017, Kosovo Customs leadership requested an in-depth follow-on workshop with an increased focus on data systems and risk analysis and targeting. To deliver this training, CLDP called upon the expertise of Jeffrey Nii, a director with CBP’s Office of Trade where he manages the Integrated Operations and Incident Management Division. Mr. Nii formerly managed CBP’s Inter-Agency Collaboration Division, where he oversaw the Participating Government Agency Branch, Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), and the Quota Enforcement and Agriculture Branch.  

Before the workshop, on March 19, CLDP and Mr. Nii had the opportunity to observe an inspection of cargo at one of Kosovo Customs’ internal clearance offices and to visit the National Center for Integrated Border Management, where members of Customs, Police, and the Food and Veterinary Agency work side-by-side. We also visited the Vërmica border crossing point to see Kosovo and Albanian customs and border police officers at work. These site visits provided CLDP an increased understanding of Kosovo Customs’ targeting methods and interagency collaboration, and allowed Mr. Nii to tailor his presentations and case studies to the Kosovo context. During the workshop, Mr. Nii presented on topics such as commercial targeting and risk analysis, risk management system rules, weight sets, and user defined rules, trusted partners, and air passenger targeting. Mr. Nii also provided examples of U.S. agency filings for single window, and provided an overview of the U.S. Border Interagency Executive Council based on his firsthand experience.

Following the workshop, CLDP met with Kosovo Customs’ head of human resources and training, head of systems, and head of risk analysis to receive feedback on the workshop and discuss the next steps both in terms of Kosovo’s implementation of a single window as well as future CLDP programming. During this meeting, Kosovo Customs representatives reemphasized their conviction, based on legal, functional, and capacity considerations, that Kosovo Customs should be the agency to lead the single window process. In terms of future programming, Kosovo Customs expressed its interest in participating in and presenting at CLDP’s first Balkans regional customs workshop, planned for summer 2018 in a to-be-determined site, likely Montenegro. For Kosovo-specific training, Kosovo Customs head of human resources and training requested up-to-date training on familiar topics such as rules of origin, valuation, and tariffs, and identified excise taxes as a new training area of interest. This event is part of a series of workshops intended to build the capacity of Kosovo Customs to effectively facilitate trade across borders, promoting a climate favorable to international commerce and investment while increasing security in the region.