At the invitation of Mr. Frantisek Imrecze, President of the Financial Administration of the Slovak Republic in his country's capacity as holder of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya delivered a keynote speech at the EU High-Level Workshop on AEO, held in Senec, Slovakia on 29 November 2016. 

Secretary General Mikuriya welcomed this first EU wide Workshop on AEO to deepen the understanding of Customs-Business Partnership, and chart its way forward, especially after implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) earlier this year and faced with the increased need to secure and facilitate global trade in collaboration with other border agencies.

Dr. Mikuriya went on to take part in a live television interview on this topic together with Ms. Dana Meager, State Secretary of the Slovak Ministry of Finance, Mr. Stephen Quest, Director-General of DG TAXUD, and Mr. Imrecze, to explain to a wider Slovak audience the significance of the AEO Programme as well as the current challenges for Customs.

On the previous day, Dr. Mikuriya met Mr. Andrej Danko, Speaker of the National Parliament of Slovakia, to brief him on the evolving role of Customs in contributing to economic competitiveness and protecting society from illicit trade and security threats. 

Dr. Mikuriya also had meetings with senior officials of the Government of the Slovak Republic to discuss Customs' contribution to improving the business environment and thus strengthening the global value chain, as well as addressing the negative aspects of globalization.