The head of the National Customs Administration of Panama, Tayra Barsallo, declared her commitment to improving control and facilitation of trade in the Central American Common Market.
In the bloc, made up of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and, more recently, Panama, Tayra Barsallo is the First woman to hold the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American Customs Committee. And in this semester, it is proposed to continue strengthening the integration process through regulatory convergence, reliable operators and a single humanitarian declaration.
Tayra Barsallo has a degree in Law and Political Science and is a member of the Political Committee of the World Customs Organization; In addition, he is a member of the Gender Equality Group of that global community.
In an interview with Aduana News, reflects on her presidential plan and gender-sensitive initiatives to improve customs management, as well as hemispheric security.
Can you describe what the Central American Customs Committee is and what its function is?
-The Central American countries are part of the Central American Economic Integration System (SIECA). Within this framework of multilateralism, the Central American Customs Committee is formed, which is made up of the customs directors of the member countries, who rotate the direction of the projects that we have as a group every six months. Thus, in this Committee with customs jurisdiction, Panama has the Pro Tempore Presidency from January to July 2022. We are achieving our objectives: the first refers to regional customs regulations. We already have 97% approval of the Central American Uniform Customs Code (CAUCA) and we are drafting "in consensus" all the articles of the Regulations to the Central American Uniform Customs Code (RECAUCA). We hope to submit all the articles to the Council of Ministers of Economic Integration (COMIECO) for approval and prompt implementation.
Another priority is the promotion of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO). To this end, we are promoting the creation of a “single table” for the AEO (removing it from the table dedicated to risk analysis) within the Central American Customs Committee. This will allow us to efficiently and quickly achieve trade facilitation, as well as security throughout the logistics chain.
Another objective is to achieve the Central American Humanitarian Single Declaration (DUCA-H), understanding that Panama has the regional humanitarian hub. DUCA-H will be a legal instrument aimed at the rapid mobilization of this type of humanitarian cargo. This initiative is fundamental, which is why we have been working on technological tools with the Customs Union, such as the Central American Digital Trade Platform or PDCC.
The fourth priority is related to Border Clearance Times. In 2021, customs carried out a consultancy to measure clearance times. Now we intend to promote the actions recommended in the results of this study to have more agile borders in Central America.
What is your most important proposal for changes to the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American Customs Committee?
-The most important proposals are the approval of the Uniform Central American Customs Code with its Regulations (CAUCA and RECAUCA) and the establishment of an OAS working group. Also, the consolidation of the Single Central American Humanitarian Declaration. I am very ambitious… (laughs)
What role do trade facilitation efforts play in economic recovery?
One of the efforts has to do with the processes of digitalization and streamlining of procedures, which were accelerated in response to the pandemic. All administrations set these goals, but the health crisis brought them forward and digitalization is here to stay. The electronic signature, the transmission of documentation through systems, the interconnection with Central American countries, the simplification of the information that must be completed for declarations is a work that has been carried out in depth and is resulting in the reduction of times and costs of the dispatch of goods, as is the case with gasoline, for example.
In the particular case of Panama, I would like to point out that my country has a privileged geographical position. We have the greatest connectivity in Central America and most of the cargo enters through Panama. Therefore, the land cargo sector is important in terms of mobilization. In addition to this, we have a strip of 80 km2 between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, ideal for transshipment or transshipment of goods. It is estimated that 8.7 million containers were transshipped in Panama in 2021. With five ports (three in the Atlantic and two in the Pacific) plus the interoceanic train, Panama is a jewel in logistics. In addition, we have an airport cargo area that allows interconnectivity with eighty different destinations where there can be multimodality in the supply chain to reduce costs. At the same time, we are creating nearshoring or customs logistics warehouses to compete with ports such as Cartagena or the Dominican Republic. We have the best shipping companies in the country and enviable logistics.
Can you briefly explain the Central American Coordinated Border Management Model? In your opinion, what are the main challenges?
-It has been a challenge to reach an agreement among Central American countries, but we are achieving results. In this sense, we all know the rules of the game, and the coordinated and integrated control processes at the borders are carried out in a more agile manner. These are standardized and simplified procedures carried out by SIECA where we can all see the DUCAS, we have an interstate risk analysis team and an exchange of information under the COMALEP legal agreement. All this makes the exchange of goods at the borders more efficient, perhaps it is not at the ideal level yet, but we are moving towards greater integration.
The action plan for the Coordinated Border Management Model between Panama and Costa Rica includes a binational agreement for the implementation of the “Customs Logistics Integration Program, PILA,” which is financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and managed by the National Customs Authority of Panama. Through PILA, we seek to have juxtaposed customs. The operational model for border control posts in Paso Canoas includes the physical integration of controls in specialized double-header schemes for cargo and tourists. This implies the implementation of two binational Integrated Control Centers (juxtaposed customs), one in Panama and the other in Costa Rica, where officials from both countries must carry out controls simultaneously and in the same place.
In the case of Río Sereno, the defined model is the physical integration of border controls in specialized single-header schemes for cargo and passengers on the Costa Rican side, where a binational Integrated Control Center (juxtaposed customs) is being developed; there, officials from both countries must carry out all border controls at the same time and in the same place.
And in Guabito, the defined model is also that of physical border integration of controls in specialized single-header schemes for cargo and passengers, but on the Panama side. This implies the development of a binational Integrated Control Center (juxtaposed customs) in Panama, where officials from both countries will carry out all border controls simultaneously and in the same place, so that we can reduce the time from 16 to 2 hours.
I must clarify that Panama is a services country and, as such, these actions help commercial operators to carry out export and re-export operations from our free trade zones.
Why is the OAS important for the competitiveness of countries?
-The OEA is important for countries because security provides the opportunity to better sell that the mandate of combating illicit trade is being met. Also, because Panama, having a prime geographic position for logistics, can be exploited by organized crime. In this sense, knowledge of the main actors is the best way to combat risks. For this reason, the OEA and other certifications such as CTPAT, Basc, imply that all parts of the logistics chain at the public and private level have done their job, guaranteeing a correlation of responsibilities when it comes to avoiding possible threats.
In terms of trade facilitation, the AEO implies trust in the actor for its conduct by giving it a waiver in the dispatch times and agility in administrative procedures. This is due to being a business partner that has guaranteed that its work team and its transactions are being carried out in an efficient and safe manner.
What are the benefits of signing a Mutual Recognition Agreement?
-The MRA gives a comparative advantage to national and international companies. This recognition allows the other country to also provide the benefits that we can provide in Panama. Very recently we signed the Roadmap of the guidelines to begin negotiations for the signing of an agreement with the Ecuadorian Customs. We also have MRAs with Central American countries, and we are also working on our bilateral negotiations to offer companies and countries the best commercial and logistical allies.
-What would you say to an Argentine company to attract it to the Central American market, either as an investor or as an exporter?
-First, I would say that we are talking about a market of forty million people in the framework of a globe. From Panama, we have the logistical capacity to cover all those markets, promoting Panama first… There are also many opportunities for market exchanges to the extent that the sectors without so much protection are analyzed, it is important to work on those links. For countries like Argentina or Brazil, it would be to promote our products and services as a block to win over that South American market that is sometimes not sufficiently exploited, considering the advantage of having the dollar as currency, the logistical hub: time is essential. From Panama, Argentine products can be re-exported in less time.
Women in customs management
Are there gender-sensitive initiatives aimed at improving customs and border management?
-At the Panamanian Customs, the majority of workers are women, 53% in the security and collection institution, which makes me proud. The gender-related initiatives that we carry out at the World Customs Organization level with the visibility and awareness of women are very important. In America, in Jamaica, El Salvador, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, among other countries, we are women who have the leadership of Customs to promote policies with a gender dimension, equality and inclusion in all customs work.
On the other hand, it is incredible how training in these matters is evident in these countries. It is important to promote that women's participation be viewed positively, since studies indicate that women have a higher level of integrity, last longer in their jobs, occupy various roles, etc. For example, Panama currently has a young mother who is in Vienna (Austria) doing a fellowship at the World Atomic Energy Organization. So, the fact that administrations give these training opportunities to young women makes us proud. This is achieved with a policy of inclusion and visibility that women can contribute to the customs issue.
What can be learned from existing initiatives that have sought to promote greater gender equality?
One of the lessons learned from gender-sensitive initiatives is the lack of statistics. We do not have tools to compare figures that allow us to make the best decisions when implementing public policies on gender issues. By getting involved in this, we demand measurement to evaluate and adopt appropriate measures in these public policies with a gender dimension.
Do you have any comments you would like to make on topics that have not been covered?
I would like to say that Panama is part of the Political Commission of the WCO, one of the most important bodies of this international organization. And the fact that a woman has put her country's name on this multilateralism is important. I would also like to congratulate the customs of the region for helping to cope with the pandemic. None of the customs stopped working, we turned to virtuality, participation and digitalization. We understood that our fellow citizens needed the wheel of international trade not to stop so that supplies could reach our countries. I applaud the logistics of vaccination where all customs carried out a series of special processes for vaccine supplies. Thus, customs was part of the success. For example, in Panama more than 85% of the population has their two vaccines and children from 5 to 15 years old are vaccinated. It is important to know that customs have supported the health recovery, now they are doing so with the economy.
I encourage the countries of the region to continue to work together in the fight against organized crime, money laundering and the transit of illicit substances. In Panama, not a single hectare of illicit substances is cultivated, yet we are a strategic geographic point that criminal organizations want to use for passage to Europe and North America. The fight of the South American countries is important. I encourage, then, to continue signing agreements for the exchange of information, to maintain communications with efficient operations to prevent the transit of cash, precious materials, undeclared negotiable documents, the undervaluation of merchandise, tax fraud, and to promote legal transactions, to continue to comply with the protocol against the illicit trade of tobacco, wildlife, wood, works of art, the counterfeiting of products that can harm human beings, as well as the protection of intellectual property. In short… do not leave us alone in this fight for hemispheric security.
Aduana News foi o primeiro jornal aduaneiro da Argentina a lançar sua versão digital. Com mais de 20 anos de trajetória, suas publicações e iniciativas têm como objetivo oferecer o conhecimento mais relevante sobre temas aduaneiros, contribuindo para a promoção do comércio seguro e da facilitação do comércio na região.
