REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat organized a three-day workshop for ASEAN Customs Authorities on September 23-25, to examine international and regional best practices and share ASEAN member countries' experiences in risk management in preparations for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).
The workshop also discussed and explored the strategy and plans to introduce an approach to risk management within ASEAN based on the WCO Risk Management Compendium, the ASEAN Secretariat said in a statement posted on its official website.
The decision to create the AEC by 2015 is intended to facilitate the free flow of goods, services, investment and skilled labour in the region, and the freer flow of capital.
An essential feature of the AEC is a harmonized Customs environment which operates through common law, procedures, processes, documents and techniques, the statement said.
A key success factor is the promotion of operational cooperation between Customs administrations in enforcing regulations so that acceptable levels of compliance are achieved.
The workshop recommendations will be presented to the Customs Enforcement and Compliance Working Group (CECWG) for consideration of follow-up actions. The workshop was supported by ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU (ARISE).