In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and following the acceleration of digitalization, current online activities shorten distances. In this context, the Regional Vice Presidency of the World Customs Organization (WCO) reported that Guatemala, with other customs administrations in the Americas and the Caribbean, carried out this Friday (09.07.2021) two validations of its National Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Program, in the framework of the San Pablo Declaration.
It should be noted that the AEO programs in Guatemala and other countries aim to secure the logistics chain at a global level and to accelerate the processing of shipments of companies that trade, according to the Regulatory Framework to Streamline and Secure Trade of the WCO and the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the WTO. Likewise, the figure of the AEO is one of the most important mechanisms that customs have for the benefit of legitimate trade and the security of logistics chains. For this reason, several countries signed the Declaration of Saint Paul, in 2017, to advance the Mutual Recognition Agreement of OEAs at the regional level, as an instrument for integration and facilitation.
Under this logic, the statement says, Customs Services signatories of the San Pablo Declaration, such as the Dominican Republic and Paraguay, participated in the audit process of the OAS Program of Guatemala. in person, while the customs of Peru, Chile and Brazil They did it for first time virtually; Bolivia, Costa Rica and Honduras were invited as observers.
“The activity is an alternative measure derived from the restrictions issued in each of the countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to give continuity to the Action Plan signed by eleven countries of the Americas and the Caribbean for a Regional Mutual Recognition Agreement," the official text added.
The certification process was developed in Two Guatemalan companies that requested to be authorized as OEA-GT: Transportes Pineda Rosell SA (“Transporter” modality) and Almacenadora del País SA (“Fiscal Warehouse” modality).
For this purpose, such certifications were carried out in two phases: 1) in remotely for three days of verification. 2) in face-to-face at the facilities of both companies, verifying compliance with the requirements that, by their nature, need to be validated.
Finally, the Customs Services of Peru, Chile, Brazil and the Dominican Republic carried out the closing, validating the standards of the OEA-GT Program.
"This means that, in the future, companies authorized by the Guatemalan Customs Service as OEA-GT will have benefits for the clearance of goods in these countries," the statement concluded.
It is important to highlight the development of this initiative between customs offices in different countries, with Guatemala being a pioneer in the promotion and implementation of virtual certifications to guarantee greater security and facilities for actors in the international logistics chain.
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