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Customs-Business Dialogue Session in Ecuador

11 abril 2011

Customs-Business Dialogue Session in Ecuador

Guayaquil, 8 April 2011

Report

At the invitation of Director General Mario Pinto of Ecuador Customs, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Guayaquil, Ecuador to hold a Customs-business dialogue session on 8 April 2011, jointly organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Guayaquil, Ecuador Customs and the Catholic University of Guayaquil.

Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador and the economic centre where Customs' headquarters is located. Ecuador enacted a new Customs Code at the end of last year that allows flexibility to Customs in introducing more risk-based procedures, in using electronic documents and in terminating the mandatory use of Customs brokers. Customs has also changed its status from a public corporation to a public service.

During the dialogue session, the President of the Chamber of Commerce Dr. Eduardo Peña shared his experience of the active consultation on the new Code with Customs who had accepted input from the Chamber of Commerce. He praised Ecuador Customs which is now being led by a young management team with a clean background; a notable change from the past. Professor Armando Serrano from the Catholic University of Guayaquil talked about the evolution of Customs' role and the recently enacted Customs Code.

Customs Deputy Director Xavier Cárdenas explained that the inspection rate had been rationalized from 70% to 26% as a result of the legal amendment and clearance times had been considerably reduced too. Now Customs is installing a new IT system that will enable a Single Window service. Secretary General Mikuriya commended the new Customs Code based on the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention and consultations with business. He also encouraged continued progress in implementing the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards.

On the previous day, the Secretary General met Ecuadorian Vice Minister of Trade Mr. Francisco Rivadeneira in Quito to explain the WCO's approach to trade and to discuss WCO support for Customs modernization.

Links

Article on the meeting with the Vice Minister of Trade [es]

Article from the Chamber of Commerce [es]