Under the sponsorship of the EU-WCO HS Programme for Africa, a national workshop on the HS 2017 amendments for the Ethiopian Customs Commission (ECC) was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 11 to 15 November 2019. The overarching goal of the workshop was to assist the ECC, which has just completed the migration to the HS 2017 version, to understand the scope of the amendments and align its classification work on the new version of the national tariff.
Fifty-two (52) officers from a number of different units and border stations of the ECC, as well as a representative of the Ministry of Finance, attended the week-long training and were provided detailed information on the HS Convention, the HS Nomenclature and various HS tools, and the General Interpretative Rules and practicalities of HS classification, to ensure correct and uniform application of the HS. The workshop also provided a brief introduction on the HS 2022 amendments and a review of the current situation concerning the implementation of HS-related Council Recommendations in Ethiopia.
The participants also had an opportunity to have discussions with the WCO experts regarding a number of individual classification issues, including the classification of used vehicles especially those which were modified from their original purpose, “solar lighting systems” which could also be used independently of the LED lamps to recharge laptops or mobile devices, to listen to radio broadcasts via the FM radio or to music via the USB port and also tires for trucks and buses. The participants were actively involved in the discussions and were able to obtain satisfactory solutions to most questions. They also acquired a solid knowledge of the scope of the HS 2017 and will consequently ensure a correct and uniform application of the HS 2017.
As a result of their engagement, the participants now possess greater knowledge on the principles of classification which will aide them in their day-to-day work.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.