WCO participates in the 6th meeting of the CPLP Working Group on Sea Lanes

The Secretariat of the World Customs Organization (WCO) participated in virtual mode in the 6th meeting of the Working Group on Sea Lanes of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), which was held on 3 November 2022. Seven (07) of the nine (09) Member Administrations took part in the meeting.

This meeting is part of the action plan approved at the 31st meeting of the Council of Customs DGs, which took place in November 2016, in Praia, Cape Verde. It was during this same meeting that the Working Group on Sea Lanes was approved.

The WG brings together experts from member countries in the maritime field, in order to define guidelines on maritime control as well as the sharing of best practices.

The meetings are organized on the Virtual learning Center's e-Learning platform (CAV), of the IT system of the Portuguese Tax Administration. During each meeting, relevant topics are presented by each administration.

Since 2020, the WCO has participated in the WG meetings. The theme of this year's meeting was: Non-Intrusive Instruments (NII) and Risk Management (SAFE Framework of Standards) in the customs clearance process, in view of its importance for member countries.

In view of the interest of this meeting, the participants developed recommendations, namely:

a) Continue with the CAV platform, in order to perpetuate the dialogue between technical experts, through the exchange of views and commitment of all, the sharing of knowledge and experiences, and the clarification of doubts on topics of interest;

b) The strengthening of cooperation between CPLP Customs, with a view to implementing best practices in this field in the Community of Portuguese-speaking countries, bearing in mind the ongoing tax reforms.

It is important to recall that in October 2021, the 35th meeting of the Council of Directors General of Customs, held by videoconference, approved the Integrated Programme of Cooperation and Technical Assistance and provided for two (02) more annual meetings of the WG, namely: the 7th meeting to be held in 2023 by videoconference, and the 8th meeting to be held in 2024 in person in Lisbon, Portugal.

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