In January 2002, Crown Agents began to deliver a radical Programme of Customs reform in Bulgaria. The Programme was based upon a contract signed with the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria in November 2001.

The contract was designed to provide advice and support t o the Management of the Bulgarian Customs Agency, based on a partnership approach with designated counterparts for a range of key posts and activities.

The Programme had a significant and sustainable impact upon the effectiveness of the Customs Service and directly upon the levels of customs revenue.

In order to build on the success already achieved, the Ministry signed a new contract with Crown Agents in July 2004 to further assist in the process of Customs modernisation. This resulted in a further increase in Customs revenue. A large number of sustainable reforms were also introduced, which provided the base for the BCA to maintain its level of effectiveness on accession to the EU on 1 January 2007.