MOBILE BACKSCATTER CARGO AND VEHICLE SCREENING SYSTEM - 2019

ended

The Ministry of Finance, Customs Administration (MFCU), of the Republic of Croatia (HR), as part of the European Union Customs Union (EUCU), is in charge of security, safety and protection of the EU's external borders, in line with the EU policies. HR is mainly a transit country, particularly its south-eastern border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro (MNE). A protection of the EU's financial interests with regard to its position on the Balkans routes is one of major challenges. There are attempts that via these routes cross various kind of illegal goods, specially tobacco and cigarettes, thereby jeopardizing the EU's financial interests. To ensure security and protection of the EU's financial interests, the MFCU needs to supplement its equipment on EU eastern border. In order to provide efficient and effective customs control, the MFCU decided to purchase a mobile cargo and vehicle screening system which can ensure rapid and efficient control of cargo and vehicles without slowing down traffic and flow of goods. A justification behind it is in the fact that there is no such or a similar device along entire 1030,4 km of south-eastern border between HR-BiH and HR-MNE, at its 27 road border crossing points (BCP). Market analyses proved that optimal solution for this purpose would be a mobile backscatter cargo and vehicle screening system which uses backscatter technology to provide photo-like images of the concealed objects, such as explosives, drugs, currency and trade-fraud items. Such a system can rapidly reach places as it is installed in a commercially-available delivery van. It can provide a fast and efficient way of protecting the border, as it can quickly move from one BCP to another in a short period of time. Small workplaces are required to use this device, radiation zones are much smaller than of other technologies, fewer operators are required and ultimately the same device can be used efficiently in both passenger and freight traffic.