The Director General of Customs of Panama, Tayra Barsallo, made a trip last week to the city of Washington DC, in the United States, to intensify the collaborative work with Strategic actors at global, regional and bilateral levels, and achieve a safe trading environment that contributes to greater economic recovery.
Tayra Barsallo commented to Customs News the important meetings in the North American city that certify the stage of strengthening dialogue and cooperation between customs.
“The geographical location of Panama "It is strategic to fight against counterfeiting and to empower strict regulations that allow stopping the transit of illicit goods," said the official at the beginning. For this purpose, she participated in the meeting organized by the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC).
Barsallo said he participated in two panels. In the first, “Developments in Latin America”, gave a description of the panorama of trademark protection and counterfeiting in the region. At the same time, he highlighted the procedures and actions of the Panamanian Customs, as well as the teamwork and coordination between all the entities involved in the fight against counterfeiting. In the second panel, “Customs and Free Trade Zones”, together with Jaime Borgiani, Director General of Customs of Uruguay, he examined the role of customs and free zones in the enforcement of intellectual property and how, from a customs perspective, work can be done to improve cooperation in the battle against counterfeiting.
On the other hand, the Director of Customs of Panama referred to the meeting with a regional organization. Specifically, Barsallo met with Sandra Corcuera, leader of the customs logistics project of the Interamerican Development Bank, to analyze customs modernization in Central America and, in particular, the progress between Panama and Costa Rica regarding the implementation of integrated binational borders. “It is a milestone project that will accompany the economic reactivation,” he said. Barsallo explained, in this regard, that he had presented the results of the Study of Clearance Times in Central America during the Annual Conference of Customs Directors of the Americas and the Caribbean. According to the measurement and evaluation results of this World Customs Organization tool applied by SIECA, Barsallo commented that the Paso Canoas border crossing (between Panama and Costa Rica) has the longest delay time, affecting logistics performance. In this context and aware of the importance of trade facilitation, he stressed that the implementation of the peer-to-peer border management model will help reduce clearance times that will result in benefits for the end consumer.
Another regional meeting was with the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE), the only entity whose purpose is to prevent and combat terrorism in the Americas, has different programs in its Work Plan. In one of them, related to the implementation of Resolution 1540 of the United Nations Security Council, Barsallo and CICTE began the coordination to carry out the second exercise between Panama and the Dominican Republic.
Biological security was also discussed, a topic on which Barsallo stated that “customs have a fundamental role” and indicated that good practices such as the application of the export control list and the container program were analyzed. In addition, it was agreed to train the public and private sectors in the figure of the AEO with a focus on free trade zones and the strengthening of supply chains. Also, single windows for import and export.
Another meeting was held with the World Bank's Senior Trade Facilitation Specialist, Ernani Checcucci, with whom the Panamanian customs authority spoke regarding the harmonization of Central American regulations on electronic commerce.
Finally, Barsallo visited the National Center for the Coordination of Intellectual Property Rights of the government of USA, where she experienced collaborative exchange between different agencies and industry experts. The center develops initiatives, coordinates enforcement actions and shares information related to money laundering and intellectual property theft, among other illegal business practices that threaten health and safety.
During his visit to Washington, Barsallo met with his counterpart from Uruguay, Jaime Borgiani, with whom he spoke about the integration process in the border areas (Uruguay-Argentina) and the interest in strengthening cooperation between customs.
“It is essential to have an exchange of information and agreed protocols that allow us to act in an integrated manner to facilitate trade in the region,” said the official in the final dialogue. She also stated that there are experiences of customs integration in other countries around the world.
"Why can't we have that integration in our latitudes?" he asked.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
