With the financial support of the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund, the WCO and Sri Lanka Customs jointly conducted a National Seminar on Rules of Origin in Colombo from 27 to 30 May 2013, attended by Sri Lankan Customs officers and officials from the Department of Commerce.
Topics discussed included the key concepts for proper origin determination based on the WCO Comparative Study on Preferential Rules of Origin and a number of related operational issues, such as the establishment of an efficient organization, effective training and private sector outreach to the private sector.
Also highlighted were the WCO’s Revenue Package initiative and the newly developed Guidelines on Preferential Origin Verification, which has been designed to assist WCO Members in bringing the verification provisions in Free Trade Agreements into smooth operation in the field.
Discussions during the National Seminar also emphasized the importance of verifying the originating status of goods, rather than merely checking the authenticity of the Certificate of Origin.