The World Customs Organization (WCO) Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) met on 15 and 16 April 2019 to discuss a variety of customs issues.
The PSCG considered, among others, the work of the Working Group on E-Commerce, viewed a presentation on Free Trade Zones (FTZ), and discussed the impacts on business of non-negotiated tariff changes and retaliatory actions by countries.
The PSCG noted the upcoming public conference on “ Revitalizing the Harmonized System ”, which is part of the WCO’s Harmonized System (HS) review. The PSCG also expressed their renewed commitment to the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) review process.
Then, in preparation for the meeting with the SAFE Working Group, the PSCG discussed a number of ideas, namely:
(i) Leveraging Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) without something as formal as a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA);
(ii) Whether it was time for an AEO convention, rather than continuing to sign bilateral MRAs;
(iii) Whether the WCO should validate Members’ AEO programmes; (iv) Establishing a WCO AEO/MRA measurement tool;
(v) Creating an annual report of global benefits; and
(vi) Applying the BASC “Sandbox” concept to MRAs to see how many benefits are available from one MRA to another.
Finally, PSCG established a working group on the future of the SAFE Framework of Standards.
- Story by: Riaan de Lange