Proceedings of the 14th Meeting of
The COMCEC Trade Working Group
5
Mr. ILLE introduced good practices from three regional customs transit systems – the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Computerized Transit System (ACTS), the
International Transit of Goods (TIM) system used in Latin America and the New Computerised
Transit System (NCTS) used for the EU-EFTA Common transit procedure.
He emphasized the benefits coming from the use of ACTS, TIM, and NCTS:
 Speed up the procedures applied at all Customs offices involved in transit operations;
 Connected with the control of single transit customs declaration, the adequacy, and
quality of guarantee, enclosed documents, and goods and with release or end of transit
procedure;
 Eliminate barriers between customs brokers and Customs authorities;
 Reduce carriers’ expenses resulting from delays, and repeated inspection of the cargo at
each national frontier;
 The imposition of national security requirements (guarantee, bond, a deposit of duty,
etc.);
 Reduce the Customs requirements deriving from national transit procedures;
 Use of Customs Risk Management to focus on high-risk consignments; and also
 Provide simplification for Customs authorities arising from the fact that the
international transit operation is covered by a single transit document, which reduces
the risk of presenting inaccurate information –or data discrepancies-to different
Customs administrations.
In his closing remarks, Mr. ILLE focused on the lessons learned, success factors, and best
practices connected with the use of ACTS, TIM, and NCTS.
Questions/Comments and Answers
1. What are the reasons for the low practical implementation of the TIR Convention, when the
number of contracting parties of this convention is permanently increasing?
The practical implementation of the TIR Convention in a contracting party is conditioned by the
existence and approval of an issuing and guaranteeing association in this particular country. In
accordance with the Article 6 of the TIR Convention there are strict conditions to be fulfilled by
the Associations to issue TIR Carnets and to act as guarantors, as long as the minimum
conditions and requirements, as laid down in Annex 9, Part I of the TIR Convention, are complied
with. An Association shall not be approved in any country unless its guarantee also covers the
liabilities incurred in that country in connection with operations under cover of TIR Carnets
issued by foreign associations affiliated to the same international organization as that to which
it is itself affiliated.
The wider practical implementation of the TIR Convention in a contracting party is also
conditioned by the approval of a person to have access to the TIR procedure. Authorization for
access to the TIR procedure shall be granted only to persons who fulfill the minimum conditions