4th WCO Global AEO Conference
The World Customs Organisation (WCO) hosted its 4th Global Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Conference – ‘Promoting Mutual Recognition of AEOs to Strengthen and Secure Global Trade’ – from 16-18 March in Kampala, Uganda. The conference brought together more than 1 100 participants from 95 countries. You may recall the South African Revenue Service (Sars) AEO equivalent, the Customs Preferred Trade Programme, which I will return to. Discussions included how AEO programmes and Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) could provide a secure business environment for economic development, enhance compliance levels and increase revenue collection and trade facilitation, and obtain more benefits with coordinated border management including MRA at both the bilateral and plurilateral level. The need was expressed to standardise and harmonise the international AEO programmes and to explore the different ways of harnessing technological solutions.
Customs Preferred Trader Programme In just over a month
Sars’ Customs Preferred Trader Programme will celebrate its first anniversary. Launched on 8 May 2017, it was said to mark the culmination of an extensive process aimed at introducing one of the most significant trade facilitation initiatives in Sars’ customs modernisation journey. At the time of its launch 28 customs clients had been awarded the accreditation status and over 250 were going through the accreditation process.
OECD’s Global AntiCorruption & Integrity Forum
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) hosted its Global Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum under the theme ‘Planet Integrity: Building a Fairer Society’, in Paris from 27-28 March. The forum debated the impact of integrity on business, how it reduced socio-economic inequalities and made public policies more effective. Discussions also concentrated on the governance of globalisation and its crucial role in fighting corruption and unethical practices in areas such as trade, competition, infrastructure, development co-operation and revenue collection.
WCO Enforcement Committee
The 37th session of the WCO Enforcement Committee took place in Brussels from 19-23 March under the theme ‘Customs enforcement: securing trade and travel’. According to the WCO this year’s theme reflects the increasingly important role played by the international customs community in addressing cross-border security challenges while safeguarding the interests of legitimate traders and travellers. The agenda of the meeting was divided into eight sessions covering topics addressed as part of the main WCO enforcement programmes, namely drugs and precursors; environment; intelligence and risk management; IPR, health and safety; revenue; security and trafficking of cultural objects.
Duty Calls Watchlist
Comment on the proposed increase in the rate of customs duty and the creation of a temporary rebate provision for coated paper and paper board, and exemption of safeguard duties applicable on hot-rolled steel products imported under rebate item 470.03 and drawback item 521.00 is due by 13 April.
