Brussels, 29 May 2009
Albania becomes the 55th Contracting Party to the WCO Istanbul Convention
On 28 May 2009, Mr. Naim ÇOPE, First Secretary at the Albanian Mission to the European Union, deposited his country’s Instrument of Accession to the Istanbul Convention with WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, Mr. Michael Schmitz, who was representing Kunio Mikuriya, the Secretary General of the Organization.
The Convention on Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention) is an international instrument that combines all existing conventions on temporary admission. The ATA system which is integral to the Convention, allows the free movement of goods across frontiers and their temporary admission into a Customs territory with relief from duties and taxes. These goods are covered by a single document known as the ATA carnet that is secured by an international guarantee system.
With this system the international business community enjoys considerable simplification of Customs formalities as the ATA carnet also serves as a goods declaration at export, transit and import. The ATA carnet is now the document most widely used by the trade for international operations involving the temporary admission of goods.
The ATA system facilitates the flow of goods at borders, enabling Customs authorities to concentrate scarce resources elsewhere. Not only does the system facilitate trade, it also contributes to more efficient border management.
The Convention entered into force on 27 November 1993.