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Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gained greater importance due to the impact that they are having on different economies around the world. According to the Small and Medium Enterprise … Development Authority (SMEDA), SMEs comprise approximately 90% of all firms in the world and account for an average of 40% to 50% of countries’ GDP. In the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) region for example, SMEs account for over 80% of all businesses and employ as much as 60% of the work force.

The two day WCO conference focusing on the application of rules of origin around the world took place in Brussels (Belgium) from 16-17 June 2008. With rules of origin now a prominent feature … of today’s trading system given the plethora of regional trade arrangements that exist and those that are under negotiation across the globe, the issue has become more topical than ever. These rules enable preferential arrangements to be more effectively implemented; the positive benefits of which include the development of trade and the encouragement of foreign investment.

On 1 July 2008, the European Union (EU) will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Customs Union. This is a very considerable achievement of which we can be proud. We have gone very far during … these 40 years in building a unified Customs entity. Now, what does the future hold? How will the role of Customs change? Can Customs continue to evolve to meet new challenges, as well as the expectations of our nearly 500 million citizens? I suggest that we should not be passive spectators to the events around us, but that we should actively respond to change.

The Ecuadorian Customs Corporation is an independent institution that was created 10 years ago with the mission to administer Customs services in a fast and transparent manner. Ecuador Customs … is oriented towards the efficient collection of taxes, and to facilitate and control Customs activities in the current foreign trade market on the basis of integrated and automated processes. It encourages a culture of competitiveness and uprightness that guarantees service excellence to both external and internal users, which in turn contributes actively to the development of Ecuador.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialised agency of the United Nations, is responsible for facilitating communication between peoples, based on the principles of free circulation and the … right of all citizens and businesses to communicate via postal services. The UPU, established in 1874, implements policies aimed at modernizing and developing the postal sector world-wide, for the benefit of its 191 Member countries.

As part of the “Inventing Our Future” Forum on “The WCO in the 21st Century”, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), represented by Mr. Hassan Baage from the Counter-Terrorism … Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), was asked to speak on the topic “Security : A challenge for the WCO?”.

Money laundering has a considerable adverse impact on the social stability and economic development of a nation. It is not a stand-alone crime, but is intertwined with other crimes, which are … called “predicate offences”. These offences include transnational organized crimes such as the smuggling of drugs, arms, stolen vehicles and artworks, the trade in counterfeit goods, and so on. This criminal trade generates a significant amount of illegal proceeds that need to be laundered, hence the need to find more avenues in which to do so.

The dramatic rise in the number of preferential trade arrangements, together with complex and often confusing rules of origin are some of the increasing challenges facing both customs administrations … and the business community.

One of the key standards contained in the SAFE Framework is the establishment of a risk management system to identify potentially high risk shipments. The use of non-intrusive inspection equipment … is also strongly advocated, but in tandem with the application of these risk assessment techniques. At a time when the WCO is actively encouraging all its members to employ risk management, the potential implementation of 100% scanning requirements by one of the world’s major trading powers threatens to undermine the provisions of the SAFE Framework. Michael Schmitz, WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, responds to questions on this subject.

In General - A container that was loaded on a vessel in a foreign port shall not enter the United States (either directly or via a foreign port) unless the container was scanned by nonintrusive … imaging equipment and radiation detection equipment at a foreign port before it was loaded on a vessel.

Mr. László Kovács, the European Commission’s Taxation and Customs Union Commissioner, candidly shares his views with WCO News readers on the “Implementing Recommendations of the United States … 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 which mandates 100% scanning by 2012 of sea cargo destined for the United States.

In actively implementing an AEO programme in the United Kingdom, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has adopted a robust approach where they expect company procedures to withstand their … audit – which will be detailed and wide-ranging. If issues arise HMRC will simply stop the “audit clock”; resuming, to an agreed timescale, only when corrections are made. Traders should accept this simple approach which may be considered as a best practise.

The Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) recently celebrated its 5th birthday. The occasion warrants a review of the voluntary programme from the perspective of US small and medium … traders (SMEs). For while the programme is voluntary, if non-participation puts an SME at a competitive disadvantage versus larger and multinational corporations, does it leave the SME with any choices beyond join or lose? Apparently so, as evidenced by the typically independent behavior of SMEs.

The WCO and its Member administrations share with trade bodies a genuine concern to set and maintain a fair and fruitful balance between facilitation and security but they are not helped by sharp … differences in the ownership of each side of the equation.

Carrying out the main duties of The Ministry of Finance in customs and excise matters based on policy stipulated by the ministry and securing government policy regarding the incoming and outgoing … traffic of goods into or from the Customs Territory and to collect Import Duties and Excise and others government revenue in accordance with the applied laws.

In recent times, we have witnessed a clear shift of the role of Customs from the collection of VAT and Customs duties towards the application of non-tariff measures, including those related to … security and safety, the fight against counterfeit goods, money laundering, drugs trafficking, economic crimes, the illicit trade in wild fauna and flora, as well as the application of sanitary, health, environmental and consumer protection measures. This increase in the role and responsibility of Customs has generally led to a rise in the physical inspection of goods in many countries with inevitable constraints on fast clearance times.

The Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) came into being at the same time as the Brussels Nomenclature and the Brussels Definition of Value (BDV), and these two Conventions formed the pillars of … the Organization at its beginnings in 1952. As time went on, international trade developments gathered pace and Customs’ missions evolved. At the same time, demand for use of the Nomenclature grew not only for Customs revenue collection purposes, but also for manifold socio-economic reasons. As a result, the Brussels Nomenclature developed into the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS). This System, which entered into force in 1988, is the common language for global trade.

By selecting the fight against counterfeiting and piracy as its theme for 2007, the international Customs community has set the tone by demonstrating its firm commitment to the task of combating … this phenomenon.

It’s 12.54, a 40 foot container full of cosmetics swings overhead, borne by one of the hundreds of cranes in the port of Shanghai. Two seconds later another 40-footer with more than 8 million … cigarettes hidden inside is loaded onto a ship bound for West Africa. Only 2 further seconds tick by before a crane swings into action to load a container full of tea en route to Dubai. Every 2 seconds a container leaves the port of Shanghai. Who could fail to be impressed by the never-ending dance of these huge metal boxes, symbols of the globalisation of trade!

WCO Members have resolved to strengthen the position of Customs with regard to the protection of intellectual property rights by developing a set of IPR Standards known as “SECURE” (Standards … Employed by Customs for Uniform Rights Enforcement). The purpose of this consolidated platform is to promote better compliance with intellectual property rights at borders by building Customs capacity and strengthening cooperation with its international partners and rights holders.