Uruguay and Colombia signed this Wednesday (17.11.2021) a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) for their Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs, which will streamline foreign trade operations between both countries.
With this agreement, companies that are authorized by the National Customs Directorate in Uruguay and certified by the National Tax and Customs Directorate (DIAN) of Colombia - as OAS - will be able to access the benefits established in the program, which are related to streamlining trade procedures and providing recognition as safe customs users before the OAS authorities of both countries.
The signatories of the Mutual Recognition Agreement of the OAS Programs were the Director General of the DIAN of Colombia, Lisandro Junco Riveira, and the National Director of Customs of Uruguay, Jaime Borgiani.The ceremony took place at a national congress attended by Colombian authorities, as part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the OAS Program in that country in the far north of South America.
On this occasion, the National Director of Customs, Jaime Borgiani, said: “Customs in the region are headed towards the same objective of strengthening cooperation, regional integration and supply chain security through the strengthening of our AEO Programs.”
“When we were asked to move forward on a bilateral agreement, we thought it was very timely, since despite the difficulties imposed by the pandemic generated by COVID-19, and taking advantage of the fact that joint validation visits had already been carried out by technicians from each Customs Office, we were able to make progress on the theoretical and implementation aspects of this MRA that we are signing today,” he said.
Jaime Borgiani emphasized that the validity of the OAS and Obtaining mutual recognition has become a priority goals for many WCO member countries. He also indicated that “the mutual recognition of our programs will strengthen the security of the logistics chain of bilateral trade and will contribute significantly to the facilitation and control of goods circulating between both countries.”
"We have the challenge of maximizing the use of this agreement to increase trade opportunities between both countries, and for certified operators to benefit from the differentiated treatment granted by customs as a reliable operator," he said.
Operating agreement
The statement explains that it is a basically operational agreement, therefore, The customs of both countries are responsible for its execution and implementation.. It clarifies that “all the aforementioned stages have been completed, concluding that their respective programs are safe initiatives, implemented in accordance with the SAFE Regulatory Framework of the World Customs Organization.”
Thus, both customs authorities have undertaken to accept the results of the validation and the certification status granted to the Authorized Economic Operators of the other Party's Program, and have agreed that the benefits they will grant to the operators will consist of bilateral trade facilitation measures.
“The ARM establishes the bases for continuing to work to strengthen security in the logistics chain and for certified operators of their respective programs to effectively benefit from it,” the statement concludes.
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