The study on Coordinated Border Management in MERCOSUR countries was presented on Friday (26.01.2024) by the Procomex Institute in virtual format. This work, which will allow progress in trade facilitation and the modernization of customs processes, has a duration of five months: from January to June 2024.
This is an initiative managed by the Procomex Institute as the responsible institution, with support from the World Bank at the request of Technical Committee No. 2 "Customs Affairs" of MERCOSUR.
During the meeting, John E. Mein, Executive Coordinator of the Procomex Institute, referred to the public-private partnership and the invaluable cooperation from private sector people who have in-depth knowledge and are able to describe step by step how foreign trade operations are carried out in land mode. "We believe that without their participation the process of transformation at the borders will not be possible," he said.
From this, the Project Coordinator, Cesar Garcia Vazquez, presented the methodology and the workplan of the Study of Coordinated Management of the Internal Borders of MERCOSUR to the 132 participants.
He explained his target The initiative aims to review border processes and institutional cooperation agreements at the main MERCOSUR ports in order to make recommendations to simplify and automate operations. In addition, the initiative will speed up trade and support the effective implementation of best practices and international standards related to coordinated border management, as set out in the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, as well as in the WCO's tools and instruments, particularly the Regulatory Framework for Securing and Facilitating Global Trade (SAFE).
Given these expectations, García Vázquez described the benefits of collaborative work between the public and private sectors. “For government control agencies, having a holistic view from the private sector of everything that happens at the border to import, export and/or transport cargo between MERCOSUR countries helps them understand the daily reality and propose solutions to modernize these processes,” he said. He clarified that these solutions “are agreed upon” by both sectors.
Additionally, the study offers advantages to the private sector. In García's words: “It improves communication with the public sector, provides a mechanism to positively influence the suggested changes, knows in advance which ones will be made, learns from the end-to-end process from colleagues and develops new professional capabilities, as well as expanding the network of contacts.”
To identify opportunities for improvement in the process of foreign trade by land, as well as to develop proposals to improve the procedure, the Project Coordinator indicated that the “Procomex Process” methodology will be used, a tool developed by the Procomex Alliance Institute.
More precisely, he said that this methodology will be applied at border points “validated” by the CT2 of MERCOSUR in each of the countries evaluated: Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. In detail:
What does work mean? This process mapping is truly an “opportunity for improvement” by allowing the systematization of the information collected in the work meetings and establishing a series of proposals that seek to contribute to the modernization of the import process, says enthusiastically the Coordinator of the exercise, accompanied by Antonella Lanfranconi and Erica Medina Barrantes.
In summary? The great challenge is to promote the participation of the private sector in each of the calls, meetings, consultations, technical visits and scheduled activities.
Don't miss the opportunity.
To participate, complete the following form. Once received, Procomex will send an invitation for upcoming meetings.
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