I. Porto, living memory of commerce and strategic scenario
Porto is not just a port. It is a living story where stone, water, and history intertwine with the architecture of global trade. From its docks, ships departed that shaped new geographies and brought back not only goods, but also regulatory systems that shaped customs governance.
In this space full of history —the old river customs house, today Alfândega do Porto Congress Center— will be held, 3 of the septiembre 5 of 2025, the XVII World Meeting on Customs LawIt will not be just another ceremonial meeting: at a moment marked by the Geopolitical fragmentation, the advance of unilateral measures and the erosion of multilateralism, this forum returns to Portuguese soil, after Lisbon 2009, with an explicit mission:
“Customs Control in the Era of Sustainability, Digitalization, and Security in a Trade War Scenario.”
Portugal, a pioneer in opening maritime routes and establishing Lusophone customs, once again serves as a meeting point for a community that needs to rethink its foundations in times of uncertainty.
II. Thematic axes: a map for 21st-century customs
The event's program is not a formal itinerary: it is a collective assessment of the challenges and opportunities facing customs on the global stage.
1.Sustainability and green trade
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- New environmental requirements at the border (such as the European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism – CBAM).
- Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).
- Ecological traceability as a requirement for accessing strategic markets
2.Digital transformation and emerging technologies
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- Use of artificial intelligence for tariff classification, origin verification, and customs valuation.
- Blockchain and interoperable systems for traceability and control.
- Comprehensive digitalization of the office as a vector of efficiency and transparency.
3.Logistics chain security
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- Redefinition of the Authorized Economic Operator (OAS) towards the “Trust and Check Traders” model.
- Strengthening risk management and crime prevention systems.
- Integration of biosecurity and public health protection into the customs agenda.
4.Geopolitics and trade wars
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- Escalating tariffs, anti-dumping measures, and economic sanctions as instruments of pressure.
- Reconfiguration of supply chains and industrial relocation.
- Regulatory tensions between economic blocs.
5.Vocational training and technical cooperation
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- International customs training standards.
- Diplomas and training programs with regional and global reach.
- Adapting human resources to a constantly changing regulatory and technological environment.
III. A diverse and high-level cast
Among the voices that will set the pace of this meeting are:
- Customs authorities: Helena Borges (Portugal), Fabiano Coelho (Brazil), María Ángeles Marín Ramírez (Spain), Soraya Valdivieso (Panama).
- Multilateral organizations and the private sector: Aik Hoe Lim (OMC), Valérie Picard (ICC), Lars Karlsson (Maersk), Florencia Sarmiento (IISD), Axel Marx (University of Leuven), Anna Jerzewska (Trade and Borders).
- Academic and professional leadership: Hans-Michael Wolffgang (University of Münster), Manuel Fontaine (Portuguese Catholic University), Fernando Pieri Leonardo (ABEAD), Karolyn Salcedo (OMA), Alejandro Arola (Customs Foundation).
- Intercontinental linkAlejandro Ramos Gil, former president of ASAPRA, CAAAREM and IIFA, articulating perspectives from the Americas and Europe.
IV. Strategic presence of national and international organizations
La ASAPRA —which brings together more than 60.000 customs brokers on three continents— will be represented institutionally by its president Nelson Brens and by Dr. Henry Thompson Arguello, co-founder of ICLA.
Next to her, the Confédération Internationale des Agents en Douane (CONFIAD) It will contribute its intercontinental network, strengthening the articulation of common interests and technical cooperation between regions.
From Brazil, the delegation will be headed by SINDASP, chaired by Elson Isayama, also director of the Feaduaneiros do Brasil. The Feaduaneiros will also be attended by its president, José Carlos Raposo Barbosa, who will provide a strategic vision on regional integration and the defense of professional interests in a context of increasing regulatory complexity. This conjunction of leaderships —ASAPRA, Confédération Internationale des Agents en Douane (CONFIAD), SINDASP, Feaduaneiros and representatives of the customs legal profession— ensures that the voice of the Lusophone community is not only present, but actively involved in decisions and debates of global scope.
V. Beyond the event: the border as a space for innovation
In traditional logic, the border was the limit. In the vision projected from Porto, the border becomes a space for innovation, cooperation and legality, where technology, sustainability and security converge.
Portugal, which in other centuries opened routes to the unknown, is once again the starting point. This time, not to conquer markets with sail and astrolabe, but to build a International trade with legitimate rules, prepared actors and inclusive systems, capable of facing the turbulence of a changing world.
Customs Broker, with a degree in Economics and a Master in Business Administration in Business Management from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV). Co-founder of EBIMEX Comércio Exterior and Director of the Union of Customs Brokers of São Paulo (SINDASP), Brazil. He works as an Advisor on Marketing and Institutional Communication at the International Association of Professional Customs Agents (ASAPRA) and is a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Pharmaceutical Products (CBFARMA) of the CNC. He holds certifications in Artificial Intelligence from the OAS (Organization of American States) and in Marketing and Communication from the International Business Management Institute (IBMI), Germany.
