One year ago, the WCO Secretariat launched a Strategic Trade Control Enforcement (STCE) Project as directed by the WCO Enforcement Committee and in response to calls for technical assistance … from WCO Members. The Project’s anniversary marks a good opportunity to take stock of what has been accomplished so far, and what remains to be done.

The WCO launched a new web-based application called the Technology Network (TeN) to replace its Databank on Advanced Technology. Although the TeN offers new functionalities and a modern and userfriendly … environment, the objective of this new tool remains the same as the old one: to enable Customs administrations to easily find information on the latest technology solutions and products available on the market.

The World Customs Organization (WCO) is on the move with regards to the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), recently concluded by the World Trade Organization (WTO). The … WCO’s strategy was set in Ireland when the WCO Policy Commission adopted the Dublin Resolution at its December 2013 meeting, committing the WCO to the efficient implementation of the TFA.

Trade facilitation, understood in its simplest form as the elimination of stumbling blocks to making international trade easier, has its origins in the multilateral scene of the 1970s with the … adoption by the WCO in 1974 of its International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Kyoto Convention). This Convention evolved into a more comprehensive instrument to address new realities, namely the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) that entered into force in 2006.

In a World Trade Organization (WTO) working paper entitled ‘The long and winding road: how WTO Members finally reached a trade facilitation agreement’, Nora Neufeld, a Counsellor in the Trade … Policy Review Division, states that “the new Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) is going to have an impact not only on the trade facilitation universe but the WTO and the multilateral trading system as a whole”.

Section 1 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), concluded by the World trade Organization (WTO), contains trade facilitation and Customs cooperation measures embodied in 12 articles. WCO … instruments and tools have strong linkages to each article of the TFA and in some cases go beyond the provisions contained in the TFA articles.

Article 3 of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) provides for advance rulings. The expression generally refers to the option that Customs has to issue a prior decision … or ruling on a regulation in force, at the request of an economic operator planning a foreign trade operation. This article argues that WCO instruments relating to binding advance rulings provide comprehensive information for WCO Members who have not yet implemented such schemes, as well for those Members who are already issuing such rulings.

Article 10.5 of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), concluded by the World Trade Organization (WTO), provides that WTO Members shall not require the use of pre-shipment inspections in relation … to tariff classification and Customs valuation, and encourages Members not to introduce or apply new requirements regarding their use. This article presents some thinking and recommendations on pre-shipment inspection (PSI) service contracts and explains how the WCO can support national Customs administrations to reduce their reliance on inspection services or even terminate existing contracts.

The World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement promises to streamline global Customs clearance procedures, cutting trade costs by almost 14.5% for low-income countries. But what … are the repercussions for South Africa and other African states?

The signing of a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) between Mexico and the Republic of Korea on 11 March 2014 affirms the compatibility between their respective trade partnership programmes. … This event is also a boost for the WCO’s efforts to encourage its Member Customs administrations to recognize each other’s Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) initiatives.

Poland, like other Members of the WCO, has been applying the ‘Customs-to-business (C2B)’ concept in its relations with the trade community for many years. Since successfully concluding the process … of integration into the European Union (EU) and joining the European Customs Union, Poland’s client-oriented approach has gone from strength to strength. But now, the challenge of the Polish Customs Service goes far beyond that, with the focus falling on ‘Customs-for-business (C4B)’ – a new level of ambition for Customs.

It is now widely acknowledged that building collaborative relationships with trusted traders is advantageous for governments facing the challenge of growing trade volumes and increased security … requirements on the one hand, and the need to develop efficient crossborder processes that allow businesses to be more competitive on the other hand.

This article discusses Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes and AEO Mutual Recognition Agreements/ Arrangements (MRAs), in the context of recent research and consulting work carried … out by the author, in Thailand (Thailand Europe Cooperation TEC-II, PDSC) and in the European Union (FP7-CASSANDRA).

The WCO SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade (SAFE), and specifically the creation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme, is undoubtedly among the most … significant achievements in securing borders in the last decade. Since the adoption of the SAFE in June 2005, one needs to ask a critical strategic question – why is there not greater demand for AEO participation, given its potential security and economic advantages?