Given the increase of the number of requests for binding tariff information submitted to the Customs Administration, North Macedonia has been working on the improvement of its classification infrastructure in order to achieve uniformity in the application of the HS Nomenclature.  North Macedonia requested the WCO support in order to provide technical assistance in that regard.

An online workshop was held from 1 to 3 December 2020, with the participation of 31 Customs officials working with tariff classification.  The workshop covered an introduction to the HS, its General Interpretative Rules, tariff classification of technical goods from Chapter 84 and Chapter 85, and introduced the participants to the amendments that would be brought in under HS 2022.  It was organized jointly by the WCO and the Customs Administration of North Macedonia, with the support of CCF China, and was facilitated by three experts from the WCO Secretariat.

Although the online sessions required a new format of delivery of presentations in order to adapt the content to a shorter duration of the workshop, the participants could interact with the facilitators in the end of each presentation during Q&A sessions.

The Head of the Sector for Customs System of North Macedonia Customs, Mr. Zlatko Veterovski, highlighted the importance of HS classification as one of the pillars of Customs and recognized the need of imparting the necessary knowledge to the officials that work in this area.  He thanked the WCO for working together with North Macedonia Customs in order to strengthen this important technical area.

According to the feedback received from participants, the workshop achieved its objective of improving the skills of Customs officers on proper tariff classification and preparing for the tariff changes of the HS 2022.

The WCO pledged to continue to provide the required support to North Macedonia to build the capacity of the customs officers working in the area of tariff classification.