Improving the Border Agency Cooperation
Among the OIC Member States for Facilitating Trade
44
2.4.2. Tangible iBAC activities
Legal framework
The cooperation in the Laobao-Dansavanh border crossing point builds on the Greater Mekong
Sub-region (GMS) Economic Cooperation Program, which is a key initiative of the Asian
Development Bank (ADB), initiated already in 1992. The GMS Cross Border Transport
Agreement (CBTA) is one of the pillars of the Trade and Transport Facilitation initiatives under
the GMS program. The GMS CBTA provides a single legal instrument for facilitating cross-
border movement of goods and people and was implemented in the Laobao-Dansavanh border
crossing point (BCP) in 2005. In addition to the GMS CBTA, the legal framework of the Laobao-
Dansavanh BCP constitutes a wide range of agreements and MoUs between the national and
functional agencies implemented between years 2005 and 2014.
Operational set-up
The model started operations on 25 December 2014 and was officially launched on 6 February
2015. Each party established an inter-agency control station (ICS) and a common control area
(CCA) for conducting documentary and physical inspections of goods, passengers and vehicles
crossing the shared border. Personnel from the two countries assigned to work at CCA
includes personnel from (i) Coast Guard, Customs, Plant Guarantee and Animal Guarantee for
Vietnam and (ii) Customs, Immigration Police and Quarantine Officers (CIQ) for Laos. For the
goods and vehicles inbound to Vietnam, joint inspections are conducted by the Vietnamese
Customs, border guard officers, the Laos’ customs and immigration police officers. On the Laos
border, these inspections are carried out by the Vietnamese Customs, border guard and the
Laos customs officers (see the Figure below)..
Figure 11. At Laobao checkpoints, Vietnam
Source: Vietnam Customs, 2015
Submission, lodgement of customs declaration form and other supporting documents and
conducting of customs clearance procedures of customs administrations are to be done at the
inter-agency control station (ICS) in the country of entry, instead of the ICS in the country of
exit. If goods and vehicles are subjected to physical inspection by customs administration of
one party, the customs administration of the other party will conduct the joint physical
inspection simultaneously or almost simultaneously at the Common Control Area (CCA)