The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Directorate-General for the Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) of the European Commission concluded an Administrative Arrangement on the activities of the WCO Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL).

The Administrative Arrangement was signed by Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the WCO, and Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General for DG TAXUD, i.e., coordinator within the framework activities of the Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN), at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on 14 December 2020.

Mr. Thomas highlighted its intention to put the available CLEN expertise at the disposal of WCO members for supporting activities in the field of Customs Laboratory and tariff classification such as organizing workshops and seminars, analysing samples using sophisticated methods, sharing data in CLEN databases, etc.

Dr. Mikuriya highly appreciated the initiative of the DG TAXUD becoming a RCL via CLEN and underlined the important roles of the Regional Customs Laboratory to support WCO Members to improve the accuracy and effectiveness of Customs laboratory analysis work through extending and enhancing regional cooperation and networking, with the aims of ensuring proper collection of revenue and protection of society and environment, as well as trade facilitation.

Director Mr. Ping Liu and his chemical experts from the WCO Directorate of Tariff and Trade Affairs as well as Director of DG TAXUD Sabine Henzler and Chief of Coordination of CLEN Hervé Schepers also attended the ceremony.