TIACA, WCO sign cooperative agreement

TIACA, WCO sign cooperative agreement    The World Customs Organization and The International Air Cargo Association signed a memorandum of understanding this week aimed at helping identify how the air cargo industry can assist in priority customs objectives without disrupting commercial operations.
   The MoU was signed in Brussels by WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, and TIACA Secretary General Daniel Fernandez.
   The WCO has agreed to attend relevant TIACA meetings to discuss its objectives and will provide technical committee responses to submissions from TIACA on specific customs/air cargo issues. It will also support practices and procedures by member customs administrations that present minimum disruption to time-sensitive commercial operations and ensure similar future co-operation.
   In return, TIACA representatives will attend WCO meetings as observers and to express members' views. It will also participate in specialist WCO working groups and ad hoc groups relevant to TIACA's interests.
   'The objective of this MoU is to ensure TIACA and the WCO confer, consult and cooperate on a continuous basis over and above attendance at formal meetings,' Fernandez said. 'We want to foster and encourage consultation and cooperation at national and regional levels with WCO member administrations to promote modernization at the Customs/trade operational interface and to explain the ways we can assist and promote WCO policies and objectives.'
   Both parties have also committed to an annual review of the MoU to identify progress and the requirement for updates.