WTO Members Welcome Increased Notification Activity on National Customs Legislation

· Committee Concludes Fifth Triennial Review of the PSI Agreement

At a formal meeting of the Committee on Customs Valuation on 25 October, WTO members welcomed the encouraging trend of increased notification activity on national customs legislation. The Committee, chaired by Buddhi Prasad Upadhyaya of Nepal, also concluded the Fifth Triennial Review of the Preshipment Inspection Agreement (PSI).

Since the Committee's meeting at this time last year, ten members — Afghanistan, Benin, Colombia, El Salvador, Iceland, Mongolia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Solomon Islands, the United Kingdom and Viet Nam — have notified new or amended customs legislation. In addition, the WTO Secretariat is currently assisting several other members seeking assistance in finalizing their notifications to the Committee.

Currently, there are 34 national legislations under review before the Committee, with exchanges consisting primarily of written questions and replies. Questions were received from Canada, China, the European Union and the United States, and replies to questions on their legislation were submitted by the following eight members: The Gambia, Honduras, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Niger, Rwanda and Viet Nam.

PSI Agreement Review

The Committee concluded the Fifth Triennial Review of the PSI Agreement. No written submissions were received but attention was drawn to the link between PSI regimes and requirements under the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) that require members to phase out preshipment inspection for purposes of tariff classification and customs valuation.

Preshipment inspection is the practice of employing specialized private companies to check shipment details — essentially price, quantity, quality — of goods ordered overseas.