The following is excerpted from a 9 July 2012 press release by the World Customs Organization.
At the invitation of the Chairman of the Indian Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC), S.K. Goel, the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, visited New Delhi, India on 9 July 2012 for a working session on India's progress regarding WCO initiatives.
Indian Customs has examined its situation in relation to the Economic Competitiveness Package.
(ECP) conceptual chart and supporting tools presented to the WCO Council during its recent sessions in Brussels. Viewing the CBEC as a comprehensive package for streamlining Customs activities through various tools, India has already identified areas where further progress may be required. In addition, they will contribute to sharing best practices to promote the ECP at the regional level and consider major elements of the ECP in future bilateral discussions.
Indian Customs also informed the Secretary General of their completion of their AEO pilot project and their role out of a full-fledged AEO programme as the next step. In line with the Guidelines for Post Clearance Audit (PCA) included in the WCO Revenue Package, India implemented onsite PCA in 2011 and introduced self-assessment at the same time, which has benefited trusted traders for facilitation purposes and also improved their compliance. CBEC is also interested in research on the informal sector which the WCO intends to undertake.
The Secretary General appreciated the work done by Indian Customs in adapting and incorporating WCO initiatives at the national level, in order to enhance the value of these initiatives. He also thanked CBEC for their willingness to share their experience and lessons learned with other WCO Members, thereby promoting connectivity and the spirit of cooperation.
Whilst in New Delhi, the Secretary General also took the opportunity to meet senior representatives of the Federation of Freight Forwarders' Association in India which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Indian Customs Act of 1962. The Federation is keen to strengthen its partnership with Customs and enhance the professionalism of Customs brokers in the fast-evolving environment in which Customs and business operate.