Improving the Border Agency Cooperation

Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade

1.2.4.

Objects of sharing

Sharing of information

– data, knowledge and intelligence – reduces duplicate work (e.g.,

sharing of audit findings), enables operational coordination (e.g., synchronised border

controls) and facilitates development of common agenda for future border agency

coordination. At the global level, the WCO’s Customs Enforcement Network CEN is an example

of a trusted communication system for exchanging information and intelligence – especially

criminal modi operandi and seizure records – between customs officials worldwide. Another

WCO initiative, the Globally Networked Customs, analyses potential to further “rationalise,

harmonise and standardise the secure and efficient exchange of information between WCO

Members”.

Resource sharing

involves multi-agency joint investments in equipment, facilities, IT systems,

databases, expertise and other common resources. The joint investment activities are likely to

result in higher resource utilisation and bulk purchasing discounts. For example, national and

regional Single Window solutions are often outcomes of joint development and investment

activities of various government agencies.

Sharing of work

is mostly about rationalisation of overlapping border control activities,

controls and formalities. If two border control agencies, for instance, agree to recognise each

other’s controls, there is no need to control the same shipment / goods more than once.

Combining forces to investigate and prosecute crime can also help border control agencies to

use their limited resources more efficiently.

Sharing of responsibilities

is about coordinating and streamlining administrative and control

tasks among border control agencies. Norway sets a good example of sharing the

responsibilities. The Norwegian customs represents all other border control agencies - except

the veterinary office - at the frontier. Customs officers are responsible for routine border

formalities, and they summon representatives of other border control agencies as and when

the officers need assistance. Internationally, the Norwegian customs cooperates closely with

Swedish and Finnish border control authorities at the Northern Scandinavian border posts.

Bilateral agreements between its neighbours allow Norwegian customs officers’ authority to

perform most customs checks and formalities for and on behalf of their Swedish and Finnish

colleagues. The coordination decreases border-crossing times and lowers administrative costs

for trading companies and the border control agencies in the three countries.

1.3.

Model of BAC 15 key activities

1.3.1.

Overview

Building further from the Conceptual Framework for Border Agency Cooperation (as in the

previous sub-chapter), next 15 key activities are presented to perform Border Agency

Cooperation in practice. In Figure below these 15 activities are illustrated in a circle-diagram,

which is cut to three sectors: on the left side, the supply chain companies are the primary

beneficiaries of BAC actions; on the right side, the government agencies form the primary

beneficiary group; and on the bottom area, both supply chain companies as well as

government agencies benefit from BAC actions. Each of these three sectors contains five

WCO, 2015