USCIB and APEC Determining Trade Map of the World

ATA Carnets facilitate trade

The United States Corporation for International Business (USCIB) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) have longstanding, mutual support for promoting trade, collaboration on overcoming challenges, and identifying common goals and complex issues that face the region.

In the 2019 USCIB APEC Policy Priorities paper, carnets are addressed under customs and trade facilitation with some of the history and future goals to expand the ATA Carnet system:

“As the National Guaranteeing Association (NGA) for ATA Carnets in the U.S., USCIB has a particular interest in the long-since established APEC goal for all member economies to join in the ATA Carnet system by the year 2000.

USCIB would like to see APEC economies who have yet to join the ATA Carnet System commit to measurable commitments toward joining the System. Not all APEC economies have taken necessary steps to become participants in or to implement the ATA Carnet System.

In addition, we note that not all APEC economies who are contracting parties to either Conventions, ATA - or Istanbul, have acceded to all the three primary ATA carnet conventions or annexes of the Istanbul Convention: (1) “Exhibitions and Fairs” (E&F); (2) “Commercial Samples” (CS); and (3) “Professional Equipment” (PE).”

Recommendations

USCIB urges all economies to:

• become a party to the ATA Carnet system, preferably becoming a contracting party of the Istanbul Convention and implement the broadest scope of coverage; and
• ensure that all primary ATA Carnet conventions or annexes of the Istanbul Convention related to Exhibitions & Fairs; Commercial Samples; and Professional Equipment have been accepted.

Future issues

The annual APEC Customs-Business Dialogue will be held on August 17, 2019 at the Hotel Cabaña del Lago in the city of Puerto Varas, Chile to encourage public-private information sharing on a main theme. Today, cross-border e-commerce has an impact on the work of customs administrations around the world, and its main development occurs in the Asia-Pacific region. This year, the theme is “Cross-Border Electronic Commerce and Customs Regulatory Challenges.” Four panels, each with speakers and a moderator, will address multilateral challenges, risk management, SME and promotion, and trade facilitation agreements.

We look forward to the outcome of the discussions.