II Conference of the World Customs Organization on the AEO

 

• The AEOs already intervene in more than 50% of the EU's foreign trade under a scheme of mutual trust with the Administration that facilitates trade and customs control
• In June, the EU will sign an AEO recognition agreement with China that will benefit the Spanish export sector and will be added to those signed with the US and Japan.

April 28, 2014.- The general director of the Tax Agency, Santiago Menéndez, inaugurated today in Madrid the II Global Conference of the Organization Customs Service (WCO) on the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) organized by the WCO, together with the South Korean Customs Service and the Tax Agency. Over three days, more than 800 representatives of the public and private sectors from 75 countries will debate the new scenario that is opening up for the promotion of this figure of reliable operator after the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) approved by the Organization Trade World Cup last December, in Bali. Of particular relevance at the conference will be the dynamic role in foreign trade that their access to AEO status, or the equivalent figure agreed upon in Bali, can entail for SMEs.

Article 7 of the TFA contemplates the figure of the “authorized operator”, which will identify companies with a good record of compliance with their customs obligations. The implementation of this figure when the TFA comes into force will not generate distortions within the European Union, which has had its own equivalent program, the OAS, since 2008. Instead, the extension of trusted operators thanks to the Bali agreement will facilitate trade exchanges between EU member states and TFA signatory countries.

In the case of Spain, the foreign sector has been decisive in recent years for the economy to return to the path of recovery. Last year was the first since 1998 in which the national economy has accumulated financing capacity (15,653 million euros, equivalent to 1.5% of GDP). This evolution is due to the improvement in the balance of foreign exchanges of goods and services with the rest of the world; that is, to the strength of the trade balance.

In this context, the promotion of the figure of the Authorized Economic Operator takes on special relevance when creating an environment of cooperation and mutual understanding that favors international trade. Obtaining the AEO certificate offers multiple advantages in terms of streamlining customs procedures, as well as greater legal security throughout the customs territory of the Union and in commercial exchanges with those territories that have signed a mutual recognition agreement with the EU. of their OAS.

 

European Union-China Agreement

To date, the European Union has signed mutual recognition agreements with five countries (United States, Japan, Switzerland, Norway and Andorra) that represent more than a quarter of the value of exports made from Spain to a non-EU country.

Next June, the EU plans to sign an equivalent agreement with China, which will be an important boost for the Spanish export sector, given that the Asian country is the fifth destination for Spanish sales outside of community territory. Currently, more than 12,900 Spanish operators export to China and only 116 of them have the AEO certificate.

 

Evolution of the Authorized Economic Operator

Currently there are 13,076 AEO certificates in force in the European Union, of which 579 correspond to Spanish operators. These figures are expected to increase significantly from 2016 with the entry into force of the new Customs Code of the European Union, which requires operators to have the AEO certificate for a wide range of customs authorizations and simplifications. Operators with AEO certification already intervene in around 50-60% of the EU's international trade.

From the export perspective, in 2013 Spanish AEO operators presented 89% of customs declarations, for an amount equivalent to 61% of the total declared in commercial departures from Spain to non-EU countries. Regarding imports, AEO operators concentrated more than 71% of the declarations of goods and services that entered Spain and 60% of the declared value.

The main import and export activity in which the AEOs participate in Spain is retail trade (more than 58% of the registrations in economic activities registered by these operators), followed by wholesale trade (over 12%). .

 

What is the OAS?

Authorized Economic Operators can be natural and legal persons who carry out professional activities regulated by customs regulations, are established in the European Union and meet a series of requirements regarding customs regulations, administrative management, financial solvency and, where applicable, security. and protection.

After obtaining AEO status, these operators are considered safe and reliable operators for the rest of the members of the merchandise logistics chain (manufacturers, exporters, shippers, transporters, customs representatives, warehousers and importers) throughout the EU. and in the territories that have the mutual recognition mechanism of the respective OAS.

The advantages offered to operators by being an AEO include the reduction of physical and documentary controls in Customs and the simplification of customs declarations and procedures, as well as various indirect benefits that result in an improvement in the operator's competitiveness.