On 30 September 2021, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced that its 68th Session of the Harmonized System Committee (HSC) had concluded on a high note.
The HSC has been dealing with a pandemic-generated backlog of issues that has resulted from the loss of a full HSC meeting at the start of the pandemic and the move from two weeks of full-day in-person sessions to restricted numbers of three-hour virtual sessions pandemic situation.
Building on the exceptionally productive 67th Session, the 68th Session examined 63 documents and their annexes, including all remaining agenda items postponed from previous meetings.
The meeting was held in a blended format of online sessions and CLiKC forum discussions and was attended by 291 registered delegates from 87 countries and the European Union (EU). The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) also participated as observers.
In his closing remarks, the WCO’s Director of the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate said that the HSC had finalised and approved:
- The Amendment to the Compendium of Classification Opinions consequential to the Article 16 Council Recommendation of 28 June 2019;
- Corrigendum corrections to the amendment of the HS2022 Explanatory Notes (ENs);
- 32 new Classification Opinions;
- 6 amendments of the ENs; and
- 29 new classification decisions.