International: ASEAN Regional Integration Support from the EU (ARISE) Plus organised a week-long workshop for ASEAN customs officers on the implementation of Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programmes in Bangkok from 24-28 September.
The workshop was held with support from the Thai Customs Department, the government of Malaysia as the Country Coordinator of the Strategic Plan of Customs Development 7 on AEO Programme and the ASEAN Secretariat.
The AEO programme is a major strategy of the World Customs Organisations under which customs authorities work with reliable traders in the private sector to secure and facilitate international trade. The workshop aimed to build the capacity of ASEAN customs officials to implement AEO programmes, and to support the development of Mutual Recognition Arrangements of AEO programmes between ASEAN Member States. The AEO programme is in line with the objectives of ARISE Plus programme which supports regional economic integration in ASEAN, including development of a harmonised customs environment in order to facilitate regional trade.
The workshop relied on the expertise of ASEAN customs services. Successful AEO programmes have been developed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam, and representatives of these countries participated in the workshop and shared the steps they took to implement their AEO programmes in their respective countries.
Thai Customs also arranged a site visit to two AEO companies in Bangkok, which provided a perspective from the private sector.