On March 10, Gold Medal of Merit for the National Revenue Administration was awarded to Mr. Jyrki Linna, former Head of the CELBET project. The medal granted by the Minister of Finance of Poland was presented by Mrs Magdalena Rzeczkowska, the Head of National Revenue Administration. The Gold Medal of Merit was awarded to Mr Linna in recognition of the valuable contribution to Polish-Finnish cooperation in customs matters and professionalism in managing the CELBET Project.
CELBET is one of the most important EU projects in the customs area in recent years. It is an initiative of 11 EU Member States: Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.
CELBET operates under the Customs 2020 program. The main goal of the project implemented since 2017 is to strive for a lasting and sustainable improvement of the performance of customs administrations, especially in the context of effective customs control at the external border. Mr. Linna’s attitude and commitment contributed to the great success of the project itself and allow participating countries to take advantage of the unique opportunity to exchange experiences and good practices.
The ceremony was also an opportunity to express thanks for the commitment and participation of Mr. Linna in advisory missions even before Poland’s accession to the European Union. The award ceremony was also attended by: Deputy Director of the Department of Organization and International Cooperation of the National Tax Administration, Mrs. Kamila Zakrzewska, Minister Counselor at the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Poland to the European Union in Brussels, Mr. Tadeusz Senda, Head of the Department of International Cooperation and Information Exchange, Mr. Mariusz Koter and former and the current National Contact Point CELBET, Mr. Jan Żrałek and Mrs. Małgorzata Banaszek.
