Self-certification of origin in free trade agreements (FTA) was discussed at a conference held on April 2 in Hanoi, aiming to facilitate trade and counteract trade frauds.

The two-day event, co-hosted by the Vietnam Customs and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to introduce the system’s operations and gather comments from localities and businesses for developing relevant regulations and guidance.

According to Deputy Director of Customs Vu Ngoc Anh, the system with regulations and examination methods is quite new for Vietnam. However, this is one of commitments the country has to implement when joining international agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).

He stressed the development of a legal framework, skills and knowledge to prepare the system’s application and effective implementation.

Deputy Director of the Customs’ Supervision and Management Division Au Anh Tuan stressed the need for training capability among staff involved in self-certification of origin.

Detailed instructions issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the piloted implementation within the ASEAN bloc are also critical, Tuan added.

During the conference, participants heard from experts on the USAID-funded Governance for Inclusive Growth (GIG) project as they shared experience in implementing self-certification of origin in the US—particularly for garments-textiles—and the roles of stakeholders in the process.-VNA