At the invitation of the Chairman of Irish Revenue, Ms. Josephine Feehily, the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, attended the European Union (EU) High-Level Seminar on Strengthening the Security of the Supply Chain, held in Dublin, Ireland from 26-27 March 2013.

The meeting adopted the Dublin Declaration to enhance Customs risk management in the EU, following the recent EU Communication on Risk Management and the Security of the Supply Chain, adopted on 8 January 2013.

Irish Minister of Finance Michael Noonan opened the meeting, underscoring the importance of enhancing competitiveness, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises, as the success the Irish economy owed to trade.

In this context, the Minister identified security as a top priority for the EU and its Member States, stressing the need for global cooperation, including through the WCO.

Setting the scene for the ensuing discussions, Secretary General Mikuriya talked about the WCO policy of securing and improving the efficiency of the global supply chain, which was a strategic priority for the Organization.

The Seminar was co-chaired by Ms. Feehily, who is also the current Chairperson of the WCO Council, and the Director General of the EU Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD) Directorate General, Heinz Zourek.

IBM, a member of the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) and the World Shipping Council expressed the private sector's views and the United States and EU Member States shared their experiences.

During the break-out sessions, participants discussed the possible weakness of the current system and possible actions to improve it at Director General, Deputy Director General and senior manager levels.

As a result, the meeting adopted the Dublin Declaration where they agreed to continue to enhance the risk management system, including data quality and data availability, to strengthen the security of the supply chain.

Participants also agreed to play a leading role in the development of WCO standards.