Proceedings of the 14th Meeting of
The COMCEC Trade Working Group
7
4. State of Customs Transit Systems in the OIC: Case Studies and
Recommendations
Mr. Jaroslav ILLE,
in his second presentation, focused on 3 main topics: the OIC case studies; challenges and the
policy options.
4.1. Analysis Results in the OIC Member States
The Analysis Results were based on the responses of 6 OIC Member States to the survey. In order
to document and analyze the current status of the implementation of the Customs Transit
Systems in the OICmembers, an extensive amount of data was collected. Data collection included
surveys distributed online and by e-mail as well as secondary source analyses (such as collecting
information from relevant webpages and quantifying those).
Survey responses were analyzed by using a convergence matrix, which is frequently used for its
straightforwardness. The comparator matrix used in this analysis, in essence, is a simple tool to
compare different approaches to the Customs Transit Systems within a group of countries. The
qualitative comparator matrix is composed of , which was divided into 11 areas - the solid legal
framework, the importance of ICT and efficient transit information management, the efficient
management of guarantees for Customs Transit Regimes (CTR), the importance partnership
with the business sector, the roles of an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) in the Customs
Transit Regime, the use of risk management in the Customs Transit Regime, the forms and
benefits of simplification of formalities in the CTR, the application of transit fees and charges in
the CTR, the forms and types of security measures in the CTR, the benefits as the results of
coordinated border management in the CTR and the criteria and results of performance
measurement in the CTR. The survey responses provide details on the characteristics of CTR in
the countries - for operational Customs Transit Systems that are supported by 50 questions.
Among the OIC Member Countries’ AEO programs, the solid legal framework is in place in OIC
Member Countries. However, the efficiency in challenging regulations is still below what is
required for an efficient CTR. The ICT systems in OIC Countries have issues related to the
interconnected or shared computer systems and real-time availability of data among national
agencies. However, fees and charges in OIC Countries are not periodically reviewed to ensure
they are still appropriate and relevant. There is a need for simplification of the procedures to
decrease the costs for traders and acceptation of copies of documents. It is necessary to improve
risk management cooperation with OGAs and other neighboring countries. Still, the AEO concept
is not fully utilized by the OIC Countries, where the low annual percentage of trade volume
handled by AEOs and a low percentage of SMEs in the total number of AEOs were recognized.
The implementation of the coordinated border management is still at the low level without
systematic sharing of control results and where joint controls, sharing of common facilities, and
alignment of procedures and formalities are not sufficient.
4.2. OIC Case Studies
Public and private sector interview questionnaires with open-ended questions were designed
and implemented to complement the surveys for the case study countries (Kyrgyzstan and
Senegal). For each of these countries, Mr. ILLE presented brief information on used Customs