International Standard ISO[1] 21378:2019 aims to make data collection for financial audits more efficient and reliable. In this article, Dutch Customs explains the structure of this ISO Standard … and why the Netherlands has submitted a proposal to extend it to cover data related to Customs and indirect tax audits. The article argues that this development is critical to facilitating post-control audits and bringing much-needed innovation in this field of work. At the same time, it will offer the business community the opportunity to reduce administrative burdens and improve their internal control processes and their compliance with regulations.

The illegal wildlife trade (IWT) poses a risk not only to biodiversity and ecosystems, but also to public health, good governance, economies and security worldwide. Given that the point of sourcing … and the end-market are often on opposite sides of the world, criminals exploit existing international transport systems to move their products, and Customs authorities have a critical role to play in disrupting their activities. They must therefore be equipped with the knowledge, resources and capacity to capitalize on their strategic position in the trade chain in order to monitor and control the transboundary movement of illegal wildlife products.

Agreement Establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) was signed on 21 March 2018. The AfCFTA is the latest of many regional integration initiatives that go back to the years … prior to the colonization of Africa, of integration efforts by the colonial powers, and of initiatives by the independent African States.

China Customs plays a key role in the administration of rules of origin, from their formulation to their implementation. Insiders who follow trade and Customs reforms in China may have noticed … the emergence, in recent years, of new expressions and terms in this domain, such as “self-service printing of certificates of origin”, the Electronic Origin Data Exchange System (EODES) and “intelligent examination”. This article explains each of these terms.

The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) consists of five Member States – Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa – with a combined population of over 63 million people and a combined … GDP in excess of 300 billion US dollars. It is the oldest functioning Customs Union in the world, dating back to 1910.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is becoming the world’s largest existing free trade agreement in terms of economic size. Aimed at further integrating the economies of Southeast … and Northeast Asia, the RCEP sets high requirements on Customs in terms of procedures, processes and performance. This article looks at the agreement from a Customs perspective and puts forward suggestions for its effective implementation.

The exponential increase in transport costs over the past few months has placed a strain on importers and on economic recovery. One solution would be for governments to waive taxes on these costs. … In Israel, the law already allows for such an exemption in the case of special circumstances beyond the importer’s control.

Trade operators required to classify their goods in the Unified Customs Tariff of countries belonging to the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) now have a helpful application … (app) at their disposal.

Korea Customs Service (KCS) has introduced a range of measures since early 2010 to respond to a growing number of imports and exports generated by online sales and purchases by both businesses … and individuals, given the strong upward trend in cross-border e-commerce. In this article, the focus is on the use of three types of technology to enhance current KCS targeting capacities: blockchain, artificial intelligence and big data.