Estonia plans to implement full customs checks on its eastern border next week.
Prime Minister Kristen Michal stated at a government press conference on Thursday that the number of shipments to Russia has increased.
“At the same time, we are saying that sanctioned goods should not be moved there, but they still are,” he said.
Michal said that Estonia stands firmly in Europe to ensure that goods used in the war against Ukraine and undermining European and Estonian security do not reach Russia.
“This means that full customs checks will be gradually implemented at the Narva, Koidula, and Luhamaa road and rail border crossings for outbound traffic from Estonia, starting from Aug. 8,” Michal said.
Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi noted that every border crosser will now come into contact with state authorities, which will benefit the EU as the aim is to enforce the sanctions imposed on Russia, specifically in the direction of exiting Estonia.
“And there is reason for this, because over the past couple of years, for reasons unknown, the flow of sanctioned goods through our territory has increased,” he said.
The finance minister noted that the goods are declared as destined for third countries, but this is not credible.
“Our experience shows that these goods do not reach their declared destinations but instead stop somewhere in Russia en route to Asia,” Ligi said, adding that the goods also include military items, mixed goods, and cash.
For travelers, customs checks will involve visual profiling and risk assessment, leading to additional checks of personal belongings and, if necessary, complete inspections.
For vehicles, the procedures will be the same — the driver will be questioned, the trunk inspected, and depending on the risk assessment, the examination can be very thorough, up to and including X-ray scans.
Regarding goods, documents will be checked, the goods inspected, X-rays will be performed if necessary, and in case of doubts, goods will be unloaded, opened, and counted, Ligi explained.
Source: BNS
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