On September 24, 2008 OTM (the Belgian Shippers Council) organized a seminar on Supply Chain Security. During the seminar Mr. N. Colpin, Administrator of Belgian Customs & Excises, held a presentation on AEO. After this presentation the first AEO certificates in
On 24th and 25th September, Prologistics will take place in the Brussels Expo. During this fair all major providers of total solutions in Warehousing, Handling, Transport, Distribution, Logistics Software, Data Capturing and Logistics Consultancy will be present.
Several learnshops on Logistics Management will take place and awards for the fastest growing companies, active in the transport and logistics sector, will be handed over.
Moreover, O.T.M., Belgian Shippers’ Council is organising its ‘2nd Day of the Shipper’ on the hot topics of Supply Chain Security ‘Leading or threat’! on 24th September. O.T.M offers an attractive program, with both an informative section on all sorts of mandatory security requirements and testimonies of security in practice in the business processes. The most important announcement on the site of O.T.M is that in addition, during the ‘2nd Day of the Shipper’ the first Belgian AEO certificate will be issued.
We will keep you informed !
Kunio Mikuriya has been elected as the new Secretary General of the World Customs Organization at the Council session held on 28 June. Mr. Mikuriya has extensive international experience, and has abroad knowledge not only in the customs and trade area but also in the fields of economy, public finance, and financial markets. As Deputy Secretary General since 2002, Mr. Mikuriya has demonstrated outstanding ability to achieve outcomes highly appreciated by other international organizations such as the WTO as well as the WCO Membership, exemplifying the necessary experiences and abilities for the WCO Secretary General.
Our Belgian Administrator of Customs and Excise Noël Colpin was one of the nine candidates for this important post at the WCO. The World Customs Organization (WCO) is an international organization consisting of 171 members, which aims to promote harmonization and unification of customs procedures and international cooperation. The WCO has significantly contributed to the development of global trade and economy by securing and facilitating trade, as well as protecting intellectual property rights and the environment. The Secretary General is the chief executive of the WCO Secretariat who plans and implements the policy and budget of the WCO, including assistance to developing countries, and represents the WCO Secretariat to attend meetings of other international organizations.
On 3 June Customs4trade will be present on the AEO workshop in Namur. This workshop is organised by Logistics in Wallonia, ABCAL, VBO-FEB, FEBETRA, OTM, FOD-SPF Finances, UPTR and UWE. They are also supported by the FOD-SPF Mobility and Transport.
On the program are the lectures of Bernard Piette (Logistics in Wallonia), Vincent Reuter (UWE), Noël Colpin & Raymond Marchal (FOD-SPF Finances) and Luc Clauwaert (ABX Logistics). Additionally, there are testimonies of companies who have already applied for AEO, such as Prayon, Garsou-Angenot and Caterpillar. The testimonies are followed by a panel discussion which will be animated par Philippe Vandooren (Transport Echo).
Rudy Thomaes (VBO-FEB) is concluding the programme on the subject of the Secure Trade Lanes.
The workshops starts at 9h00 and ends at 12h30 with a walking lunch.
We will provide information on our AEO services and our customs e-learning tools, developped by the WCO for which we are official distributor of the Benelux.
We look forward to assist you.
Location: Espace Vinçotte, Parc Scientifique Créalys, rue Phocas Lejeune 11, 5032 Isnes (Gembloux)
Participation: 40€ (VAT exclusive) per person
More information or participation ? click here
The Belgian Customs and Excise Administration can go ahead to post 5 customs representatives in important markets, outside the EU. Noël Colpin, the Belgian Administrator General, convinced the Belgian government to have its own customs representatives in Moskow, Pretoria, Washington, New-Delhi and Beijing. Aim is to simplify the economical relations with these countries by the presence of Belgian customs representatives. The names of the newly appointed will be made official in June.
This decision is complimentary to the project for ’secure trade lanes’. A ’secure trade lane’ is a logistics information platform, which gives access to transaction data. Customs authorities are studying how to work together for the exchange of data and the monitoring of movement of goods. Belgian Customs are involved in the study of the trade lane with India. Other countries next to India with whom the EU wants to set up trade lanes are China, South-Africa and South-Corea.
Another initiative in the same context is Authorized Economic Operator (AEO). AEO certified companies will eventually be authorised to use these trade lanes. By doing so, they will benefit from a preferential treatment offered by customs authorities for consignments proven safe. The level of certification will however determine how clients will be subject to customs checks.
It is clear that customs will evolve from its current role as an administrator into a new role as facilitator of business.