On 11 July the WCO announced that its Secretary General and the Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between Customs administrations and the railways sector. This is the first formal arrangement on cooperation between the WCO and a railway organisation. The signature of this MoU was organised in the margins of the WCO Global Transit Conference currently being held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels.
The accelerated development of railway transport corridors between Europe and the People’s Republic of China and the challenges concerning harmonisation of transport documents, technical standards and the use of electronic records and simplification of customs procedures require stronger cooperation between Customs and railways in terms of trade facilitation and regional integration. Both Customs administrations and railways organisations understand the need for heightened cooperation in light of the ever-increasing share of transcontinental transit via railways. The spheres for more intensive cooperation encompass the removal of obstacles to the crossing of frontiers in international rail traffic, better information exchange, simplification of formalities, enhancement of security and further work on the acceptance of transport documents for Customs formalities.
The Parties to the MoU have committed to support each other with standard-development and technical assistance activities and to define and organise consultations and provide mutual assistance.