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News Releases
No. 25/08
March 27, 2008
US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION AND EUROPEAN COMMISSION ADOPT JOINT ROADMAP TOWARDS MUTUAL RECOGNITION OF TRADE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Deputy
Commissioner
Jayson Ahern and Director-General
Robert
Verrue, of the European Commission’s (EC)
Taxation and
Customs Union Directorate, adopted the US-EU Joint
Customs Cooperation Committee (JCCC)
Roadmap towards
Mutual Recognition of Trade Partnership Programs. The
decision was taken at the 9th meeting of the JCCC.
"This is an important step toward achieving the US
and EU’s shared objective of enhancing supply chain
security," said CBP Deputy Commissioner Ahern
(at right).
"European Customs policy aims at achieving
 mutual
recognition of security standards with our major trading
partners and in particular with the USA," said
Director-General Verrue. "Mutual recognition will
bring benefits to reliable traders and customs
administrations by reducing administrative burden and
making trade smoother and quicker. Most importantly it
will also bring benefits to all EU and US citizens by
strengthening the safety and the security of the supply
chain."
Customs Security Programs were respectively introduced
by the US and the EU in order to support the development
and implementation of measures enhancing security of the
supply chain through improved customs controls. The
programs balance controls with trade facilitation.
Traders demonstrating compliant efforts to secure their
part of the supply chain benefit from increased customs
facilitation.
Mutual recognition arrangements allow the companies of
one supply chain security program to receive benefits
similar to those conferred to companies participating in
another country’s program.
The Roadmap outlines six areas that the US and the EU
will address to achieve the goal of implementing Mutual
Recognition: political, administrative, legal, policy,
technical/operational and evaluation. The Roadmap sets
forth key benchmarks for measuring progress in each
area.
In 2007, the US and the EU initiated efforts to
implement Mutual Recognition of CBP’s Customs-Trade
Partnership Against
Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the EU’s
Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) supply chain security
programs. The initial steps consisted of completing an
in-depth comparison of both the US and EU AEO programs
and conducting a pilot program in which CBP observed
security components of the EU’s AEO audit process. The
Roadmap was drafted and endorsed based on the
conclusions drawn from this US-EU effort.
The US and EU have achieved some noteworthy successes
which include:
-
completion of the initial Trade Partnership Pilot project in
which the US and EU Customs-Trade programs were compared both on paper and in
practice;
-
an exchange of best practices and training programs;
-
the implementation of the EU’s AEO program on January 1, 2008
in which the EU was able to benefit from US experience with C-TPAT.
The US and EU will continue the effort to achieve Mutual
Recognition of their respective C-TPAT and AEO programs.
Throughout the upcoming year, the US and EU will:
-
establish guidelines regarding information exchanges,
including the exchange of validation/audit results and legalities associated
with the disclosure of membership details;
-
perform joint verifications to determine remaining gaps
between AEO/C-TPAT and resolve any discrepancies;
-
explore and test an export component for C-TPAT;
-
exchange best practices through joint visits and conferences;
-
continue dialogue on legal and policy developments under the
respective Administrations;
-
endorse and sign a Mutual Recognition Arrangement;
-
evaluate Mutual Recognition benefits for AEO/C-TPAT members.
Although a number of tasks remain, both the US and EU
are optimistic about eventual achievement of Mutual
Recognition in 2009.
Further Contact Information:
Press and Public Diplomacy
Delegation of the European Commission
2300 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037
http://www.eurunion.org/PressRoom
Tel: 202-862-9552
Fax: 202-429-1766
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