Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Amman, Jordan, on 18 February 2015 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Agadir Technical Unit (ATU) Executive President, Mr. El Aid Mahsoussi, in the presence of the Directors General of Customs of the four ATU Member countries, namely Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. The ATU manages the Agadir Agreement signed by the above-mentioned countries in 2004 creating a free trade area for the Arabic Mediterranean countries, while aiming at the future creation of a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area including the European Union.
On the same occasion, the Directors General of the four Customs administrations signed a Customs cooperation Agreement to enhance cooperation, exchange of information and the combating of fraud and smuggling.
Secretary General Mikuriya commended the ATU on the preparation of the Customs cooperation Agreement which would provide the legal basis for electronic exchange of information among the four Member countries to speed up clearance at borders. He also encouraged the efforts to establish a mechanism for mutual recognition of Authorized Economic Operators among the four Members.
With the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the WCO will continue to support the ATU and its Members through WCO global standards and programmes, with a view to ensuring connectivity at borders and improving economic competitiveness.
Secretary General Mikuriya took this opportunity to visit the Jordanian Customs Administration on 19 February 2015 and discussed its modernization programme with Director General Mr. Monther Al-Assaf and his senior management team.