Customs sector looks to modernise   Customs officials in northern Lang Son Province make customs declarations for clients. In the next two year, customs procedures will be further modernised to make things easier for customers. - VNA/VNS Photo Pham Hau HCM CITY (VNS)- Relations between customs offices and enterprises will be furthered in the next two years in an effort to modernise customs activities, speakers said at a forum in HCM City last Friday. Leaders of Viet Nam's General Department of Customs and foreign-direct invested enterprises met to discuss ways to improve linkages between the business community and the customs sector. Tran Quoc Dinh, deputy head of the department's Customs Reform and Modernisation Board, said that better relations would help improve management as well as help modernise customs procedures, thus benefiting companies' import-export activities. Dinh said that such relationships was one of several key pillars in developing customs in the 21st century, with enterprises taking a proactive role to ensure growth in world trade. Better relations would entail several channels for enterprises to show their feedback about policies and procedures. With new platforms between both parties, customs and enterprises would be free to discuss problems and issues, and work more effectively with each other in the implementation of customs laws and regulations. Next year, a unit will be established to manage relations between customs and enterprises. "It will be professional and work in accordance with laws and legal documents compiled by customs and enterprises," Dinh said. During the dialogue of leaders, the department representatives said that more conditions would be created for companies to receive prioritised conditions in export-import activities. During the dialogue, organised by HCM City's Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, more than 220 representatives from customs department and enterprises in HCM City discussed many other problems, such as procedures and e-customs. All of the obstacles that companies face were included, and solutions were offered. Also, new regulations proposed in the draft for an amended Customs Law were also discussed. - VNS