The first Seminar was held in the headquarters of AAAPUMAC (Asociación de Agentes de Aduana del puerto de Manzanillo y Colima) in Manzanillo from 3 to 4 July 2014. The Seminar was a joint initiative of the WCO, the SAT (Servicio de Administración Tributaria of Mexico) and AAAPUMAC. It was attended by 120 participants from AAAPUMAC, CAAREM (Confederación de Asociaciones de Agentes Aduanales de la República de México) and México Customs. The President of AAAPUMAC, Mr. Oscar Benavides, highlighted the importance of the correct and uniform application of the HS, a key instrument used in trade, and he thanked the representative from the WCO Secretariat’s Directorate of Tariff and Trade Affairs for facilitating the high level discussions on tariff classification issues.
The second Seminar was held in the headquarters of the SAT in México D.F, from 7 to 9 July 2014 and was attended by 110 participants from the SAT. Present at the opening of the seminar was the responsible for International Trade, Ms. María Elena Sierra Galindo, who thanked the WCO for its continuous support on the matter and stressed the relevance of the Seminar and its contribution to the effectiveness of the work carried out at the SAT. Also present at the opening of the Seminar, the General Administrator for International Trade and Audit, Mr. Luis Eduardo Lara Gutiérrez, emphasized the importance of the correct classification in the Harmonized System (HS) and thanked the representative from the WCO Secretariat for facilitating the pertinent discussions on tariff classification issues encountered by the officers in the Mexican Administration.
During both Seminars the participants discussed the use and future prospects of the HS and some practical cases of tariff classification in relevant areas such as "high-tech", textiles and food supplements. A wide range of HS-related matters was addressed and the participants were also thoroughly informed about the fundamental principles and practicalities of HS classification to ensure correct and uniform application of the HS.