REGIONAL COOPERATION AND ECONOMIC INTEGRATION

Skopje, 15.10.2009
Dear Colleagues,
The Faculty of Economics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University from Skopje and the
Customs Service of the Republic of Macedonia started cooperation with the World Customs
Organization in Brussels. The Faculty of Economics from Skopje became a member of
the International Customs University Network (INCU) of the WCO and accepted to help
the process of developing university programs that would incorporate the professional
standards of the WCO. Thus, university programs in the field of economics and business
should be upgraded in order to provide contemporary standardized programs of higher
education for the customs officers that would result in creation of a highly professionalized
human capital for the needs of the Customs Administration.
On the 5th of October, 2007 in Brussels, the former General Secretary of the WCO, Mr.
Michael Dannet and the former Dean of the Faculty of Economics from Skopje, Prof. Bobek
Suklev, Ph.D. signed a Memorandum of Understanding in order to confirm there mutual
will to cooperate and make efforts for the establishment of a Training Centre for the whole
CEFTA-2006 in the Republic of Macedonia. Two months later, on the 14 th of December
2007, the Macedonian Government gave its official consent to this idea.
Finally, on the 25 th of June, 2009 the establishment of the Regional Training Centre – World
Customs Organization as a unit of the Faculty of Economics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius
University from Skopje in cooperation with the Customs Service of the Republic of
Macedonia was approved by the Council of the WCO in Brussels.
The actual General Secretary of the WCO, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, the Director of the
Customs Service of the Republic of Macedonia, Mr. Vanco Kargov, and the actual Dean of
the Faculty of Economics, Prof. Ljubomir Kekenovski, Ph.D. exchanged official documents
on the opening of the Regional Training Centre – World Customs Organization on the 28 th
of October, 2009 in Skopje.
In order to promote the newly established training centre in the Republic of Macedonia
we organized the International Conference on: Regional Cooperation and Economic
Integration – Challenges and Opportunities which took place at the Faculty of Economics,
Ss. Cyril and Methodius on the 15 th -16 th October 2009, in Skopje.
With respect,
Ljubomir Kekenovski, Ph.D.
Dean of the Faculty of Economics,
Ss. Cyril and Methodius University
Skopje, Republic of Macedonia
Vanco Kargov
Director of
the Customs Administration of
the Republic of Macedonia
IV