Trade facilitation

TRADE facilitation is an important role of Customs officers which means they play a central role in the successful implementation of PACER-Plus, says Oceania Customs Organisation acting head Irma Daphney Stone.

Her statement was made in light of the training workshop carried out virtually to prepare Customs officers to facilitate trade under PACER-Plus in countries that are parties to the agreement, which came into effect on December 13.

The training also focused on participants being apprised of advance rulings and they had an opportunity to undertake exercises and also discuss how to implement advance rulings in an efficient manner in their administrations.

A statement from OCO stated participants from nine PACER Plus parties focused on how to determine the originating status of products exported to the Pacific claiming preferential tariff treatment under PACER Plus, the origin verification procedures; and the role and responsibilities of the Customs authorities on validating the originating status.

“Under the PACER Plus Readiness Package, OCO in collaboration with the Centre for Customs and Excise Studies at Charles Sturt University (CCES) have been training Customs officers on the Rules of Origin (RoO) of PACER Plus and we recently completed a refresher training in anticipation of the agreement coming into effect,” said Ms Stone.

According to the statement since 2018, OCO with funding under the PACER Plus Readiness Package and in partnership with CCES had built capacity of members on PACER RoO training a total of 104 Customs officials and 168 stakeholders. The eleven countries who have signed the PACER Plus Agreement are Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, while eight have ratified the agreement.