9-10 November 2016, the 25th Meeting of the Steering Committee for the implementation of the Trade and Transport Facilitation Project of the Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – GUAM was held in L’viv, Ukraine.
During the meeting, information on the progress of the Trade and Transport Facilitation Project was discussed, and the relevance of exchange of experience on its implementation in the GUAM Member States was noted.
It was also decided to prepare presentations for upcoming conferences in order to familiarize the business community with the new possibilities of the GUAM Transport Corridor after the signing of the Protocol between the Customs Administrations of the GUAM Member States on organizing the exchange of preliminary information on goods and vehicles moving across the state borders of the GUAM Member States dated July 8, 2015, as well as the signing of a Protocol between the Customs Administrations of the GUAM Member States on the mutual recognition of certain results of customs control of goods and vehicles moving across the state borders of GUAM Member States, and the Agreement between the Customs Administrations of the GUAM Member States on facilitating the transit of goods and vehicles through the territories of the GUAM Member States.
The possibility of using electronic and digital signatures for customs clearance of goods and the preparation of a new Protocol within the GUAM on cooperation in combating customs offences related to the movement of goods by air were also discussed.
The Project Steering Committee noted with satisfaction that all Member States had joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime / World Customs Organization Container Control Program, and agreed to further unite efforts with other law enforcement agencies of the GUAM countries to combat illegal movement of goods.
Taking into account the importance and in order to increase the competitiveness of the GUAM region, the participants decided to unite their efforts for improving the rating of the GUAM Member States in the World Bank’s «Doing Business» in terms of customs activities.
During the meeting, it was also decided to continue negotiations, with the aim of signing, on the Protocol between the Customs Administrations of the GUAM Member States on the mutual recognition of certain results of customs control of goods and vehicles moving across the state borders of the GUAM Member States, as well as the approval of the draft Agreement between the Customs Administrations of the GUAM Member States on facilitating the transit of goods and vehicles through the territories of the GUAM Member States.
The next meeting of the Trade and Transport Facilitation Project Steering Committee will be held in the Republic of Azerbaijan in the first half of 2017. The date and venue of the meeting will be additionally agreed through diplomatic channels.
