In October 2016, a pan-governmental initiative called the AEO Joint Incentive (AJI) Programme was launched in China. Under the new scheme, companies which have met pre-determined standards under the existing AEO programme and have been certified by China Customs as “Advanced Certified Enterpris...
The Brazilian Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme can be considered one of the most advanced and successful in the world. Indeed, from the outset, the Programme has featured some prominent characteristics. Among other things, an internationally renowned consulting firm was involved in it...
Staged implementation
The implementation of the Brazilian AEO Programme has been carried out in stages: AEO-Security certification was launched in 2014 and AEO-Compliance certification in 2015. In 2016, steps were taken t...
To help meet the growing demand from Customs administrations for support in developing Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes and, more specifically, in setting up an AEO validation procedure, the WCO Secretariat has devised a new e-learning course which is available to Customs on the WCO ...
The e-learning course is expected to be of significant benefit to administrations that are currently embarking on AEO programme implementation or wishing to ensure that their validation procedures are aligned with recommended practices, as this will facilitate the negotiation of Mutual Recognitio...
With the entry into force of the ‘Union Customs Code’ in the European Union, and the still all too real terrorist threat, obtaining the status of an Authorized Economic Operator is even more vital than ever for companies in the world of logistics. However, guar...
Saudi Customs is the latest Customs administration to implement an authorized economic operator (AEO) programme. In doing so, its objective is to modernize border processing and support the trade facilitation objectives outlined in “Vision 2030,” a national blueprint for the Kingdom of Saudi ...
Partner States of the East African Community (EAC) have developed a Regional Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme with the support of the WCO and in partnership with the EAC Secretariat. Under this scheme, regional AEOs will be mutually recognized in all Pa...
Towards a digital transformation
COVID-19 has put immense pressure on traders and supply-chain managers and has highlighted the need for more traceability and visibility in trade transactions, and for more interoperability in IT systems,...
How it works
As soon as a company AEO certification is approved, a Customs officer in country A uploads information on that company to CADENA. The applicati...
Over the last five years, the global economy has been changing. Consumers are buying more goods online, e-commerce is flourishing, and supply chains are moving at a breakneck speed. At the same time, the number of trade agreements is growing, and countries are increasingly more focused on regulat...
The sound of African drums and dances welcomed participants as they arrived at the 4th WCO Global AEO Conference that begun in Kampala, Uganda on 14 March 2018. They were addressed by the President of Uganda, H.E. Mr Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who gave an inspiring message on the importan...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing trading hubs, as a result of its accelerated and extensive modernization initiatives in recent years, the quality of its infrastructure, the intellectual power of its workforce, and ...
Embedded in the Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade, which was adopted by the WCO in 2005, is the concept of an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) that has been widely implemented by Customs administrations around the world. In the South American region, preparations for ...
These figures do not tell us much if not compared with the total number of importers. Let’s do an exercise with Colombia. In this country, 920 companies are recognized as big importers and are already benefitting from a facilitation scheme. Given that most existing and potential AEOs are and wo...
Recognized as the largest WCO capacity building event, the WCO AEO Global Conference boasts the largest number of workshops held during an event, covering a variety of topics related to the security and facilitation of the global trade supply chain. The conference ...
Like many of its counterparts, the Guatemalan Customs Administration has faced many challenges in recent months due to COVID-19. One of these is the validation of applicants for the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme, and the supervision of existing AEOs, while minimizing travel and phy...
Lessons learned
The Guatemalan Customs AEO Unit carried out several validation exercises of applicants for the AEO Programme during the pandemic, combining a physical and virtual validation method. In 2020, 23 companies w...
The authors of this article argue that harmonization should be high on the agenda both of those who make, and of those who enforce, legislation. To illustrate, they explain some of the issues faced by businesses due to the lack of harmonization of rules, or to the ...
When drafting the PSR, negotiators must therefore decide which version of the Harmonized System is being used. Sometimes, this information is explicitly contained in the agreement text itself. Usually, however, that is not the case, and importers and exporters are left to deduce which version is ...
The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) has been supporting the development of a blockchain solution to enable automated, secure and efficient information sharing on Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs) among the Customs administrations of Mexico, Peru and C...
To inform each other, designated Customs officers in each administration send, by email, an excel file containing the data elements that the countries agreed to exchange on their respective AEOs. Customs administrations engaged in an MRA also determine the period during which data should be excha...