Measures to enhance transparency and impartiality, such as an independent system
to appeal or double-check rulings on tariff classification, should be given serious consideration
as a result of the priority accorded by the private sector to the reduction/elimination of
corruption - “tariff classification” ranked as the second most problematic issue in the
private sector surveys. The notification to the WTO of an official webpage with a negotiated
basic list of information and publications and a complete and official list of all existing fees
and charges (possibly developed in cooperation with the local chamber of commerce and/
or with the support of relevant international organizations) could also be considered.
Given that the main priority identified through the private sector surveys was the
need for improvement of coordination between relevant agencies, the establishment of
single windows for one-time submission and collection of trade documents may therefore
need to be considered. Commitments on electronic submission and processing of trade
documents and the establishment of electronic single windows connecting all relevant
agencies and organizations (e.g., similar to Singapore TradeNet) may not be feasible
given the level of computerization and the state of the ICT infrastructure in many countries
of the region. The negotiations, nevertheless, provide an opportunity for developing countries
to request and help shape a well-coordinated technical assistance/capacity building
mechanism in this area. Developed countries may be particularly open to funding electronic
trade facilitation systems in developing WTO member countries, given the raising concerns
about trade security issues.
While there is some convergence in the needs and priorities of the private sector,
the studies clearly showed that countries remain at various stages of development and
implementation of TFMs. It was also established that setup costs of some measures may
be significant for countries with limited resources or with difficult political conditions.
Therefore, commitments on TF measures may need to be divided into groups or lists,
depending on how quickly they can be implemented in all WTO members and on the
amount of technical assistance/capacity building (TA/CB) and other resources or infrastructure
that may be required for implementation.
Both the case studies and proposals of WTO members to the NGTF reveal that
trade facilitation terms such as single windows, express clearance, risk management
system and even advance ruling imply slightly different things to different people, even
within a same country. As such, any agreement that will involve complex trade facilitation
procedures (e.g., for risk management and post-clearance audit) will need to make specific
reference to established trade facilitation instruments (such as paragraphs and sections of
the WCO revised Kyoto Convention). The disagreements that emerge, even among
experts, on the sequencing of various measures also suggest that a long-term mechanism
to deal with trade facilitation issues (e.g., a WTO working group or committee), as proposed
by various WTO members, is likely to be needed.