In support of its broader Customs capacity building agenda, the WCO, in partnership with the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) of the United Arab Emirates, organized a National Workshop on the WCO Revenue Package.  The Workshop was aimed at preparing for implementation of an advance ruling system for tariff classification, origin and Customs valuation, as required and recommended by the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).

The Workshop was conducted in Arabic in Dubai (United Arab Emirates), from 26 February to 2 March 2017, and was facilitated by a Technical Officer from the WCO Secretariat.

The Workshop was interactive, enabling participants to analyse their own national legislation and their administration’s infrastructure in order to show the successes achieved and identify divergences from the provisions of the TFA.

Based on the discussions held, recommendations were made for early implementation of an advance ruling system, including requirements for a legislative framework, procedures, record keeping and a rulings database.

Compliance management, the procedure for dispute settlement and capacity building for staff were also addressed.

The Workshop concluded successfully with positive feedback by participants, who submitted the results of the practical application of the "Diagnostic Tool" to their Directorate General, including proposals and solutions concerning the adoption of an advance ruling system for classification, origin and Customs valuation purposes.

At the closing meeting, senior officials from the FCA of the United Arab Emirates thanked the WCO for its continued support by expressing their commitment to back the design and implementation of an advance ruling system.