“People go to Poland and back as though they’re going to work”

It has been more than half a year since Poland joined the European Union. For over six months the Przemysl Custom House, which operates several border crossing points along the border with Ukraine, has been protecting the economic interests of the EU. We approached Mr. Andrzej KARPINSKI, chief of the Przemysl Custom House, to comment on the situation on the Polish-Ukrainian border.

“The Polish customs service took several years to thoroughly prepare for its new functions. Long before [the EU accession] the Customs Code was passed, personnel retrained, facilities upgraded, and all computer software and hardware replaced. We also faced problems of which we had no idea before-there was much we had to examine and take into account, for example, documents on the origin of goods. Perhaps an important indicator is the fact that the personnel of the Przemysl Custom House has doubled. Of course, the requirements for people crossing the EU border have changed. With respect to Ukraine, we try to simplify and speed up the procedure of crossing the border.”

“What specific steps are you taking toward this end? How do you prevent people from waiting in long lines to cross the border?”

“I remember the days when people would wait in line for several days. Today we have lines as well, but you only have to wait a few hours. Final approval has been issued for the construction of the Budomierz-Hruszew and Malowice-Nyzhankovychi border crossings, which will significantly relieve cross-border traffic. Moreover, this will be done through the better organization of work, primarily through joint control by the Polish and Ukrainian services. The border crossing point in Szegyni functions in a similar way, and all the other crossing points will switch to the same format. But most importantly, we have a wonderful relationship with the Ukrainian side, and it takes us no time at all to solve even problem issues. We exchange calls at any time of day, and I can’t recall a single case during my time here, when our customs officers could not reach an understanding.”

“From your personal observations, has cross-border traffic declined with the introduction of visas?”

“Initially, transport flows seemed to ebb, then they bounced back, and now have increased from their previous levels. The number of people crossing the border has increased by more than ten percent. But another indicator is worrying. We conducted a comparative statistical analysis of the first quarter of 2003 and 2004, which shows a threefold increase in the number of criminal cases relating to contraband. The volumes of smuggled tobacco and liquor have risen two to three times, not to mention the smugglers’ resourcefulness. I can’t think of a single place in a vehicle, where they wouldn’t hide anything. We have found dozens of cartons of cigarettes in tires, doors, and fuel tanks. They hide contraband goods in logs and sugar in bags of gypsum. To find 3,000 cigarette cartons on a regular route bus is nothing unusual. The human imagination knows no bounds. Knowing this, we are forced to increase the duration of inspections by sending vehicles, buses, and people for special inspections, hence the lineups.

“Of course, such resourcefulness is due to unemployment in the cross- border regions in both of our countries, significant differences in prices, and the fact that Ukraine does not restrict the export of certain goods, while Poland has strict regulations for their import. And I have no reason to hope that the situation will improve in the near future, if only because as of January 1, 2005, prices in Poland will rise sharply, by more than twofold for some items, in tandem with the significant increase in the excise tax. We are already preparing for this.”

“What are your biggest concerns today?”

“Pedestrian crossings. It has made us the laughing stock of Europe and humiliated us in the eyes of many countries. Journalists come to take photos of people with cigarettes strapped to their bodies with tape. They run across the neutral zone with bags and hide contraband under their clothing. All of a sudden all the men have become fat and all the women pregnant. I understand that for many, this is the only means of income, a possibility to cash in on the price differences and survive somehow. But fights are common in the morning, as over 500 or more people gather before the opening of the border crossing. After 7 p.m. the crowd tries to pull down the fence and smuggle the contraband in this way. People go to Poland and back as though they are walking to work. Only one percent of those who cross the border on foot do so as tourists, while the remaining 99% do so for the purpose of illegal trade.”

“Do you support the closure of the pedestrian crossing?”

“No, I want people to live comfortably, while those who violate the rules had better return to where they come from. I even support the idea of making the pedestrian crossing open around the clock, so that there would be no lines at all.”