Improving Customs Transit Systems
In the Islamic Countries
40
 Initiate and participate in special regional projects conducted by RILO’s to
identify new trans-border smuggling threats and trends;
 Cooperate nationally with the full gamut of enforcement agencies; and
 Perform specific analytical studies.
2.1.4.3 WCO Instruments that help Members to exchange information concerning customs
fraud
The WCO Council has adopted several instruments that enable Members to exchange
information, such as:
 Council Recommendation on Mutual Administrative Assistance35;
 Recommendation of the Customs Co-operation Council on the Pooling of
Information concerning Customs Fraud36;
 The Cyprus Declaration – WCO Model Bilateral Agreement on Mutual
Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters;
 WCO Nairobi Convention - International Convention on Mutual Administrative
Assistance for the prevention, investigation, and repression of Customs offenses37.
 WCO Johannesburg Convention- International Convention on mutual
administrative assistance in Customs matters, 2003).
2.1.4.4 EU instruments for information exchange
Customs cooperation – including in particular the Customs-to-Customs exchange of information
- among the European Union Member States is regulated by the Naples II Convention (original
in 1967, modernized in 1998): Convention on mutual assistance and cooperation between
Customs administrations, published as the Convention drawn up on the basis of Article K.3 of
the Treaty on European Union, on mutual assistance and cooperation between customs
administrations (Official Journal 24, 23 January1998). At the time, it was decided to draft a
separate instrument for the use of IT for Customs purposes - Convention on the use of
information technology for customs purposes (the CIS Convention) - published in the Official
Journal 316, 27 November1995). These legislative actions were undertaken in response to
customs transit fraud in Europe in the 1990s, the European Council Action plan for transit in
Europe - A new customs policy and the report made by the European Parliament Temporary
Committee of Inquiry into Transit Fraud.
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instruments/recommendations/enforcement/recommendation-1953.pdf?la=en
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instruments/recommendations/enforcement/recommendation-1967.pdf?la=en
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agreements/nairobi/eg0019e1.pdf?la=en