Establishing Well Functioning National Trade Facilitation Bodies (NTFBs)
In the OIC Member States
105
months is set to allow the public to submit commentaries and observations. Commentaries are
analysed by the Ministry before submitting the new law for approval. 161
Internal initiative: There is a strong commitment from all stakeholders to facilitate trade and
exportation, and awareness of the fact that trade facilitation will promote Morocco’s economic
growth. Morocco has implemented numerous projects on its own initiative, even though it already
complies with 90% of the measures outlined in the Bali agreement. 162,163,1646
Arbitration: If needed, the CNEA, headed by the Prime Minister, may intervene or arbitrate in the
NCFTP decision process, in order to address problems of decision-making and slowness.
BOX 7 . National Trade and Transport Facilitation Committee of Morocco
The legal framework was established by the Prime Minister’s Circular nº 1/1149 of 21 July 1986.
The TF body is not institutionalized at this time. Some agencies support the institutionalization of the TF
body whereas others believe that flexibility is one of the body’s success factors.
The NTTFC’s main tasks are:
 To simplify and rationalize customs, port, and banking procedures relating to import and export
operations.
 To implement the measures established in the Bali Agreement.
Source: Author
4.3.4. Common obstacles to the functioning of NTFBs
In fact, very few obstacles were mentioned, though a few individual cases were raised. For example:
 Issuing reports in both English and the local language
 Updating the webpage
 Involving the private sector in all the activities, including those abroad such as field trips to
gain experience regarding best practices of other countries
 Due to the importance that the chairman plays in Technical meetings, appointing the
chairman by non-democratic means is a challenge.
 Deficiency in implementation of some of the decisions taken within the NTFB
 Poor coordination between government agencies to prioritize issues in the agenda
4.3.5. Proposed solutions for functioning NTFBs
The following elements could be useful for countries with functioning NTFBs in order to strengthen
the sustainability of this mechanism:
161 Said Maghraoui Hassany, op. cit.
162 Said Maghraoui Hassany, op. cit.
163 Zouhair Chorfi, Director General, Customs and Indirect Taxes Agency
164 Ahmed Jaid, Chief of the Facilitation of Process and Investment Department, Custom and Indirect Taxes Agency