Brussels, 11/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - Meeting in Brussels at the end of April, customs administrations represented at the high level World Customs Organisation strategic group ratified the draft Framework Standards. They highlighted the need to establish a reinforcement policy for administrative capacities to be able to implement rules in this draft. Michel Danet WCO Secretary General said that the framework would make a reality out of what had been until now in many countries “nothing but a pious wish” into a customs and company partnership.
This framework is the only instrument that enables customs administrations and companies to agree on a voluntary basis, implementation of a series of rules for facilitating world trade and making it secure. It consists of several documents: a main text, two annexes, a supplementary annex, a resolution and a declaration of intent.
Directors General of customs from 165 member countries of the WCO will meet at the end of -June during the next Council sessions, at the body's steering committee to obtain a formal adoption of the Framework Standards.