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Seminar seeks solutions to boost Vietnam’s trade facilitation capacity

To ensure the implementation of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Vietnam needs an effective inter-agency coordination mechanism for administrative reform, experts said at a TFA seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 29.
Seminar seeks solutions to boost Vietnam’s trade facilitation capacity ảnh 1Illustrative image (Source: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) – To ensure the implementationof the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), Vietnam needs an effectiveinter-agency coordination mechanism for administrative reform, experts said ata TFA seminar held in Ho Chi Minh City on March 29.

Highlighting the far-reaching impacts theFTA has on more than 100 WTO members, Director of the Vietnam GeneralDepartment of Customs’ International Cooperation Department Nguyen Toan said beforeand after Vietnam taking part in the pact, the customs body has carried outseveral shakeups with sound outcomes.

However, the country has yet to fulfill itsFTA commitments due to various reasons, one of which was the overload of workfor the customs sector while it has limited power and personnel.

External factors, such as frequently changingrequirements for supply chains, production methods, transport and trade, havealso created difficulties to Vietnam’s import-export procedures, Toan added.

Au Anh Tuan, deputy director of theSupervision and Control Department at the General Department of Customs, saidthere is a gap between regulations and their implementation in Vietnam, notingthat while the country’s legal documents and regulations are basicallycompatible with TFA standards but their implementation fails to matchrequirements.

He attributed the problem to human causes,including limited competence and vested interest, and suggested administrativereform to facilitate trade must go hand in hand with boosting personnelcapacity and balancing benefits among groups.

Sharing the same view, Pham Minh Duc, a WorldBank senior economic expert, pointed to the fact that administrative proceduresfor granting licences, sector verification, and border trade management consume76 percent of the total time for import-export –related work, while the time forgoods examination and customs clearance accounts for only 19 percent.   

The fact means customs procedure reformalone is not enough to improve trade facilitation activities in Vietnam, henoted, adding that the involvement of both state agencies and businesses in theprocess is needed.

The FTA took effect on February 22,expecting to cut 14.3 percent of trade costs and increase global trade by up to1 trillion USD each year.-VNA 
VNA
#Trade Facilitation Agreement #TFA #WTO
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