On Site Activity. Port of Antwerp World Customs Forum Istanbul, 7 October 2010

Transcription

1 On Site Activity Port of Antwerp -1-

2 Making Partnership Work Anita Graff, KGH Customs Services Competent Neutral Accessible -2-

3 It takes two to tango! -3-

4 Levels of co-operation. Strategic Point out the direction! Tactical Set the priorities! Operational Hands on joint development! -4-

5 THE NORWEGIAN CUSTOMS EXPERIENCE -5-

6 The Norwegian Customs Experience. Positive experiences from particularly close cooperation with industry and commerce during the introduction and prenotification of AEO in Norway Pre-notifications in Norway Initially, Norway was a third party to the EU with regards to pre-notification Norway initiated meetings with the EU Commission to facilitate an agreement in which Norway would be exempt from pre-notifications to and from the EU The Commission attached certain conditions to any Norwegian agreement An agreement with the EU signed June 2009 AEO regime established in Norway in March 2009 The Norwegian Customs received the first electronic pre-notification from a customs broker 1. July

7 The Trade and Commerce Assembly. Representatives for Trade and Commerce now regularly gather to receive information on pre-notifications & AEO The Trade and Commerce Assembly consists of representatives from the industry interest organisations Private interest organisations, Innovation Norway, companies such as KGH, CargoNet and Bring (The Royal mail) The State treasury and the Norwegian Customs Meetings are arranged every one to two moths Information Comments and feedback (in and between the meetings) Expert groups The partner organisations are responsible for ensuring that relevant information is distributed to the organisations members -7- Side 7

8 The Trade and Commerce Assembly. Additional initiatives to inform Norwegian industry and commerce to ensure better attitude to changes initiated Dedicated section at the Norwegian Customs official web page Frequently updated FAQ Emphasis on information to personnel working with information in regional offices toll.no Articles in newspapers/ magazines Regularly participate at external seminars Dedicated person working with communication -8-

9 Proven Results. Norwegian Customs; The close cooperation has been very important for us Avoided speculation and obtained stability Kept issues in proportion Proactive participation from traders beneficial to the process of developing the AEO-regime Valuable feedback from the industry and commerce s point of view Potential challenges were discovered early Created reliability Additional channel to reach the trade organisations members and distribute information The interest organisations knew whom to contact The Norwegian Trade and industry is pleased by the information provided from the Customs regarding the new customs regulations from EU (Quote from Mediaplanet, september 2008) Norwegian Customs: The close relationship with industry and trade contributed to the relatively uncomplicated introduction of a new regime in Norway -9-

10 Proven Results. The positive results from the continuous dialogue with industry and trade illustrates the importance of cooperation and joint efforts The Norwegian Customs are increasing their focus on communication with industry and commerce to maintain good relations A new position, Director of Business Relations established Meetings between the Norwegian Customs and industry and commerce will continue Cooperation and dialog from early on in new processes (such as changes in the customs procedures or developing new customs procedures) will be maintained -10-

11 KGH A PARTNER IN THE PROCESS -11-

12 47 YEARS AS CUSTOMS PARTNER. Established Started at the Norwegian Swedish boarder of Svinesund saw first expansion into Europe. Focus on customs and border management services, no logistics. Process more than 1 million customs declarations per year 415 employees 29 offices 8 European countries -12-

13 FACILITATION OF BORDER CROSSINGS. Comprehensive Range of Services Customs declarations: Processing & Outsourcing Financial services Customs process monitoring Exception handling (deviations) Customs Help Desk Customs consulting Border Services -13-

14 SUM UP -14-

15 AEO PRIVATE SECTOR VIEW. A Successful AEO Program Private-Sector View Requirements for AEO status must be clear and objective The program should provide for periodic review of each company granted AEO status Benefits for AEO members should be transparent and meaningful A forum for ongoing communication and feedback related to the AEO program must exist Program requirements should be in line with international standards -15-

16 PSCG. PSCG Recommended Benefits mutual recognition of AEO status by Customs administrations in other countries expedited processing & release of shipments, supported by regular time release studies financial guarantee waivers notification of intention to release prior to goods arrival i.e. pre-clearance pre-qualification for simplified procedures, including possibilities for 1-step process, or a 2-step process for release/clearance purposes, according to the importer s preference establishment of economic operator based profiles, and audit-based controls, as opposed to transaction-based controls priority of inspection and use of NII equipment whenever physical examination is required priority Customs processing during a period of elevated threat conditions priority treatment in post-incident resumptions and trade recovery programs AEO status is a significant factor in determining the administrative settlement of a Customs offence (see Annex H, Chapter 1, Standard 23 and Standard 3.39 of the RKC) self-assessment when Customs automated systems are not functioning an option to provide a reduced standard data-set for security risk assessment purposes -16-

17 PSCG. PSCG Recommended Benefits Mutual recognition of AEO status by Customs administrations in other countries Pre-qualification for simplified procedures, including possibilities for 1-step process, or a 2-step process for release/clearance purposes, according to the importer s preference Expedited processing & release of shipments, supported by regular time release studies Priority Customs processing during a period of elevated threat conditions AEO status is a significant factor in determining the administrative settlement of a Customs offence -17-

18 How to succeed? Creating Partnership Between Customs and Traders 1. Setting the stage Broad base of stakeholders Open communication Structured forum 2. Establishing trust Focus on common Interests Look to future (leave the past behind) Recognize priorities of partner as legitimate 3. Define the scope What s in it (and what s out)? What are the incentives? Set timelines for implementation The difficult part Maintaining the partnership Post-implementation communication Flexibility to adjust -18-

19 Let s tango! -19-

20 Thank you for your attention! More information or contact me via -20-