To ensure that the views and needs of all concerned are properly represented throughout the process of Customs modernisation and reform, a Steering Committee was created at the beginning of the programme. The Committee, which was chaired by Crown Agents, included representatives of all the key stakeholders in the Customs reform process - the Bulgarian Customs Agency, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of the Interior, the State Tax Administration, the European Commission Delegation in Bulgaria, the IMF, the World Bank, Eurocustoms and the Phare Twinning Programme.

All organisations represented on this Committee received copies of the regular quarterly reports that were submitted by Crown Agents to the Minister of Finance (with the agreement of the Minister) and they met following distribution of each report to discuss the progress of the programme. This ensured that all stakeholders were fully informed of the work being done and planned and could contribute effectively to the process.

A State-Public Commission on the Development of the Customs’ Administration has been established by the Government. Crown Agents facilitated the functioning of this Commission, which is considering the issue of customs development at a strategic level and includes representatives from both Government and the business community.