Issues surrounding border delays and in particular sanitary efficiency, will top the agenda at a border agency cooperation workshop to be held in Cape Town on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to the Trade Law Centre (Tralac) in Stellenbosch, in keeping with certain provisions made by the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation agreement (TFA), “the purpose of the workshop is to improve border agency cooperation at the national and regional levels”.
Ideally, the talks are expected to shed light on the requisite objectives for the reduction of delays whilst simultaneously saving on costs related to imports and exports.
Tralac added: “Specifically, the workshop will seek to raise awareness on the linkages between the TFA and sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and explore ways in which coordinating border clearance processes can facilitate trade.”
It is furthermore hoped that the discussions will lead to improved cohesion between the border agencies of transit countries, that it will enable the drafting of “country action plans”, and ultimately also bolster the implementation of TFA notifications.
Click here for the full agenda of the border agency workshop’s agenda.
