At the invitation of Ms. Sabine Hartmann, President of the Federation of European Movers Association (FEDEMAC), WCO Deputy Secretary General Sergio Mujica attended the annual Moving Industry Summit held in Luxemburg on 11 November 2016.

The Summit was attended by International Removal Organizations from all around the world, and it was aimed at promoting better cooperation among the industry members, policy makers and international organizations, as well as the exchange of best practices.

In his speech, Mr. Mujica presented the WCO’s Strategic Plan and priorities, as well as the main WCO instruments and tools to facilitate secure and sustainable transportation, including the Revised Kyoto Convention, the SAFE Framework of Standards, Authorized Economic Operators, and the Mercator Programme.

After his presentation, the Deputy Secretary General signed a renewed and updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FEDEMAC. The cooperation between the WCO and FEDEMAC has a long-standing history, with the first MoU signed in 1995, though then it was focused primarily on prevention of drug smuggling.

Two decades later the world has changed significantly, and both Organizations agreed on the necessity of updating the MoU to strengthen mutual cooperation in the development and implementation of international standards, as well as awareness rising, training, education and capacity building.