The Academy of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been accepted as a partner in the European Union's (EU) Eastern Partnership Training and Operational Partnership for Organized Crime (TOPCOP) project. Taking into account the role of the Customs authorities in ensuring the national and economic security of the country and the importance of developing their human resources, the Academy gained membership as a training institution in the field of Customs.

As a part and coordinating body of this activity, the Customs Academy will identify the necessary training needs for the relevant structures of the State Customs Committee, coordinate the training and involve the relevant customs authorities in the training.

One of the main objectives of the project is to increase the knowledge and skills of law enforcement officers (including border and Customs officers, prosecutors, and judges) about performing various tasks and activities in the fight against organized crime, and to expand opportunities for international and EU cooperation to combat cross-border crime. The specific objectives of the project include the establishment of coordination networks to strengthen analytical and human resources to ensure a balanced link between law enforcement training and law enforcement operations, and the assessment of training needs for regional and specific targeted training based on identified needs and commonalities.

Co-financed by the EU European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI), implemented in the Eastern Partnership countries by the EU Law Enforcement Training Agency (CEPOL) and the EU Law Enforcement Cooperation Agency (EUROPOL), in partnership with the Republic of Azerbaijan, the TOPCOP project covers the period 2020-2023.

Aiming to strengthen the capacity of law enforcement agencies of the Eastern Partnership countries in the fight against cross-border organized crime through training and related activities, the TOPCOP project also includes a training component for law enforcement training institutions. This component comprises establishing target-based training portfolios by identifying training needs in different thematic areas and at different levels quantitatively by promoting interaction between training institutions and relevant operational bodies and implementing CEPOL-based trainings for beneficiaries based on mixed concepts in both e-learning and traditional methods.

The national coordinating body of the project in Azerbaijan is the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). The State Border Service, the Ministry of Justice, as well as the Academy of Justice, and the Police Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs participated in some of the previous events within the project.

Currently, the training institutions participating in the project by Azerbaijan are the Customs Academy and the Police Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Both academies have been appointed as the capacity-building single point of contact (CAPASPOC) within the TOPCOP project.

The Customs Academy will implement events for Customs services in Azerbaijan within the project. This will make an important contribution to enhancing the staff capacity and professionalism of the country's Customs authorities in the fight against cross-border organized crime.

PR Department