The FIATA Legal Services Director was at the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Headquarters in Brussels on 10-14 November at the occasion of the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) and the WCO SAFE Working Group. The WCO PSCG, of which FIATA is a member, is the key body for the purpose of informing and advising the WCO Secretary General, the Policy Commission and WCO Members on customs and international trade matters from the perspective of the private sector.
The PSCG meeting provided rich discussions on topics such as AEO programmes, e-commerce and intellectual property rights, and how the PSCG can reinforce its recommendations and input to the WCO. As the PSCG meeting preceded the SAFE WG, it provided the opportunity to prepare the PSCG contributions to the SAFE WG, in which it has been actively participating. Given the rapid growth of e-commerce, new information regulatory requirements imposed by customs, and the challenge of balancing security imperatives with trade facilitation, it was determined that a new sub-group be set up within the PSCG to work on this topic with a particular lens on data. This sub-group will be led by FIATA together with DHL, and will work to provide recommendations to the next WCO Permanent Technical Committee.
The SAFE WG provided for further discussion regarding the ongoing review of the implementation of the SAFE Framework of Standards (SAFE FoS). Further to in-depth studies undertaken within the SAFE WG mini-group, within which FIATA participated, the need for greater inclusion of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) within Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes emerged as a key priority. In addition, the need for greater coordination with other government agencies and to increase mutual recognition agreements, as well as the ongoing challenge of differing implementation levels of SAFE amongst different jurisdictions, were key themes throughout the discussion. Key outcomes included the agreement to suspend the next 2025-2028 SAFE review cycle, noting that further work should take place on measuring the implementation of the SAFE FoS before new proposals to amend SAFE are further considered. Further work will take place within the SAFE mini-group on the development of measurement tools to assist customs in this regard.
This article courtesy of the FIATA E-Flash Newsletter.
