MINSK, 27 April (BelTA) – The throughput capacity of the checkpoint Grigorovshchina at the Belarusian-Latvian border will be doubled by 2014, Alexander Adereiko, Head of the Legal Office of the State Customs Committee of Belarus, said at the meeting of representatives of customs services of Belarus and Latvia on 27 April. At the orientation meeting the sides discussed the project to build and equip the border checkpoint with non-intrusive examination tools. The European Union has allocated ?2.5 million for the project, with ?786,000 already transferred to Belarus’ Customs. The project’s implementation will enable effective and fast control procedures at the border, will reduce queues, improve fight against customs violations, will improve the ecological status in the region. The throughput capacity of the Grigorovshchina border checkpoint will be increased from 270 to 600 automobiles per day to meet the growing traffic. A general overhaul is now in progress at the border checkpoint. It will last till autumn 2012. Apart from that, a building to house X-ray equipment will be built within 27 months. The project is part of the transboundary cooperation program involving Latvia, Lithuania, and Belarus. It will be implemented within the framework of the European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument. The program involves Vitebsk Oblast, Grodno Oblast, Mogilev Oblast, Minsk Oblast and the city. The Interior Ministry of Lithuania coordinates the program. The total budget of the project stands at ?2.777 million. The European Union allocates up to ?2.5 million to cover 90% of the costs. A similar project worth ?2.5 million has begun at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border checkpoint Privalka.

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