In Geneva, Switzerland, on 9-11 October 2018, an official meeting of the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee (hereinafter – the Committee) was held and attended by representatives of Ukrainian public authorities.

According to agenda of the Committee’s meeting, its members considered notifications of WTO members (21 notifications) submitted in accordance with the requirements of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (hereinafter – the Agreement).

In addition, during the Committee’s meeting a considerable attention was paid to sharing an experience in the implementation of the Agreement. Thus, China, the European Union, Australia, Guatemala and Brazil demonstrated their achievements in the introduction of a system of authorized economic operators, while Brazil, Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Korea shared the experience in creating a “single window”, underlining the significant benefits of such introduction, especially for business community.

The experience in functioning of the National Committee on Trade Facilitation was shared by delegation of Guatemala, focusing on its structure, and outlining the issues falling within the competence of the Committee.

The Ukrainian delegation representatives informed participants of the Committee’s meeting on the progress made in the implementation of certain provisions of the Agreement, in particular, on the implementation of a “single window” mechanism and optimisation of control procedures when moving the goods across customs borders of Ukraine.

The participants of the Committee’s meeting also discussed the problematic issues related to the implementation of certain provisions of the Agreement, expressed their will to continue reviewing the technical assistance programs aimed at support and development of members’ potential, as well as cooperation with donor organisations. Thus, representatives of the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation informed on the achievements in the implementation of certain provisions of the Agreement in the countries, such as Sri Lanka, Brazil and some less developed countries.

At the end of the meeting, WTO members approved the draft annual report of the Committee to the WTO Council for Trade in Goods.

For reference. The WTO Trade Facilitation Committee is a body of the WTO system, which key task is to monitor the compliance with the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, to develop the procedure for sharing information and best practices between WTO members, to ensure receipt of best available recommendations from international trade organisations as to implementation and administration of the Agreement, to support and discuss certain matters under the Agreement to promptly achieve a mutually beneficial solution.