TRIESTE – A joint declaration between Italy and Hungary to develop a customs corridor between the port of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the central European country was signed yesterday in Trieste.
The agreement was signed by Andrea Mazzella, director of International Relations at the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency, and by Kristóf Péter Bakai, deputy commissioner of the Hungarian customs administration, in the presence of local authorities, including Marco Consalvo, president of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority.
The agreement is aimed at strengthening cooperation in customs, logistics and infrastructure and fits into the framework of the IMEC corridor (India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor). In this context, Trieste is confirmed as a strategic node for links between the Mediterranean, the Middle East and central-eastern Europe. The customs corridor will allow for the transfer of goods under customs supervision between Italy and Hungary through simplified procedures, with customs clearance to be completed directly on Hungarian territory. The aim is to reduce time and costs along the logistics chain.
The agreement is also linked to infrastructure development projects under way in the port, including the new Hungarian multipurpose terminal in the expansion area of the port of Trieste, an initiative designed to strengthen the port’s capacity in container, Ro-Ro and general cargo traffic, with strong rail integration. «These agreements make it possible to simplify traffic flows and reduce waiting times, strengthening the competitiveness of supply chains between Italy and Central Europe», Mazzella said, underlining the full alignment between the two administrations at a complex time for international trade.
