There is one week left for the XI Academic Conference on Customs Law in Uruguay. The annual meeting will begin on August 9: a day dedicated to Customs Law through a meeting with distinguished national and foreign speakers, to reflect on central regulatory aspects.
The initiative, from “free admission", will be held in the Bonet Room of the Association of Customs Brokers of Uruguay and will be broadcast via Zoom starting at 9 a.m.
Its proximity in the calendar raises interesting questions regarding preparations, prior meetings, objectives and also something no less important: why professionals and students of Law Schools should attend.
To this end, Andrés Varela, professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of the Republic (UdelaR) and who is also the alma mater of the aforementioned academic day, clearly answers the questions of Customs News.
-What is the origin of the Academic Conference on Customs Law?
The Academic Conference on Customs Law was created in 2014, from the academic unit “Legal Regime of Foreign Trade II: Customs Law”, of the Faculty of Law of the University of the Republic, with the aim of generating an area of academic debate around national and international Customs Law.
One of the main objectives was to be able to develop an academic event that was accessible to all Customs Law students of the Faculty of Law. That is why, from the First Session, the free and open nature of access was implemented, which is one of the central and enduring objectives of the event.
But it was also an objective from the beginning to generate the interest of the main actors in the customs ecosystem, so that they would “take the day” and allow themselves to think and discuss regulatory issues with a broader view, to delve deeper into the various central aspects of Customs Law, and its practical impact on professional life.
Certainly, the idea was for the event to be a meeting point between academia (outside the classroom) and daily professional activity (bringing it closer to the University).
-Can you remember your evolution in previous years?
–When we look back over the past ten Conferences, we can see that the initial objectives have been met, but also that we have managed to consolidate an annual meeting point to discuss Customs Law, based in Uruguay. Perhaps this point is not a minor one, since maintaining an activity of this nature and making it last is surely one of the greatest challenges. And we can see that it has been improved year after year.
But the quality of the exhibitors who have generously agreed to accept the invitation to exhibit at these fairs has much more to do with it.
Just going through the names of those who have accompanied us is sufficient proof of the quality of the presentations that have been given over the past ten years. Thus, we have had the valuable academic contributions of Drs. Enrique Barreira, Héctor G. Vidal Albarracín, Catalina García Vizcaíno, Juan Patricio Cotter, Gustavo Zunino, Lorena Bartomioli, Julio Carlos Lascano, Horacio Alais, Alejandro Altamirano, Francisco Menéndez, Adrián Míguez, Juan Martín Jovanovich, Christian González Palazzo, Guillermo Vidal Albarracín, Noel Lascano, María Gottifredi, Rufino Beccar Varela, and María Susana Saladino, from Argentina; from Colombia, Dr. Juan David Barbosa and Ricardo Pretelt; from Ecuador, Fernanda Inga; and from Peru, Dr. Julio Guadalupe. As well as national specialists in the field: Drs. Pablo González Bianchi, Pablo Labandera, Raúl González Berro, Flavia Figueredo, Marcelo Sica, Daniel Olaizola, among other prestigious national speakers, among whom are officials from the National Customs Directorate, the Prosecutor's Office and Judges with customs jurisdiction.
The quality of the national and international exhibitors, together with the technological solution brought to us by the pandemic, allowed the Conference to reach all those who had access to the Internet via Zoom. With this, we moved on to a stage of internationalization of the Conference.
We can now see a new stage where several Customs Law professionals from abroad (many from Brazil and Argentina) began to come together. This determines a greater demand, but an extremely interesting framework for exchanging ideas and debating about Customs Law.
-What is planned for discussion at the new edition of the Academic Conference on Customs Law?
–This year, the thematic focus is the dogma and practice of customs offences, in which various aspects of Customs Sanctioning Law will be addressed. The panel of three speakers has been divided into five areas.
Much can be said about various topics of Customs Law, but the Sanctions remain absolutely relevant, and this in two senses: because they establish directly or indirectly the set of illicit conducts, and also the consequences provided for in the ordinance upon their verification, which determines the set of remedies of the ordinance to avoid or, where appropriate, suppress customs offenses.
Furthermore, it is where the rules and principles that allow safeguarding the guarantees of persons (physical or legal) who undergo a customs process or procedure are found, in the event of the initial attribution of the commission of a possible customs offence.
In this order, the Panels will address general topics of Customs Sanctioning Law, others will delve into specific aspects of the same, and there will be a Panel that will refer to the issues of Procedure and Processes for customs offenses.
Relevant topics and solid speakers can only determine an unmissable Academic Day.
-Why is it unmissable?
–When we say that an academic activity is “not to be missed” it is because it is certainly a good idea to attend, given the topics that will be discussed and the quality of the speakers who will present the various topics.
Anyone who has had previous experience at academic events knows that they are not just going to “listen,” but will also pick up ideas that will be useful in generating critical thinking and diverse perspectives, reaffirming convictions or rethinking “old” ideas; and in many cases, being able to apply all of this to professional practice.
Furthermore - and this is mainly for those who have the possibility of attending in person - if there are areas of generating quality exchanges, it is academic events. Mainly because of the immersion generated by the academic phenomenon that proposes to discover and exchange ideas, but also because it allows interaction with various colleagues, from different places (today also from abroad) that enriches professional, academic or student activity.
For this reason, you cannot miss the XI Academic Conference on Customs Law.
- Date: August 9, 2024.
- Location: Montevideo, Uruguay (Hybrid mode)
- Registration: https://XI-JADA.eventbrite.com.ar
- Agenda available pdf
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
