A WCO national workshop on the Harmonized System (HS), funded by CCF China, was held in Brasilia, Brazil, from 9 to 13 May 2016, at the WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC). The workshop was officially opened by the Deputy General Coordinator of the Customs Administration of Brazil, Mr. Ronaldo Salles Feltrin Correa, who emphasized the importance of the close co-operation between the WCO and Brazilian Customs for the improvement of tariff classification work and the correct application of the HS. The Director of the School of Administration of the Ministry of Finance (ESAF) of Brazil, Ms. Rai Ferreira de Almeida, was also present at the opening ceremony and stressed the importance of the partnership between the WCO, Brazilian Customs (Receita Federal do Brasil) and the ESAF to strengthen capacity building activities with a view to improving the performance of the institutions committed to economic and social development.
Twenty-five Customs officers from the Classification Centre and the Customs Headquarters participated in the workshop, which was co-facilitated by Ms. Claudia Navarro, a newly WCO Accredited HS trainer, and by Mr. Alvaro Leite Ribeiro, a WCO Recognized Expert on the HS, and former Senior Technical Officer (Supervisor) in the WCO Secretariat.
The workshop aimed at securing uniformity in the interpretation and application of the HS-2017 Edition by Brazilian Customs. It also offered an opportunity to discuss the tools recently developed by the WCO in the context of Phase II of the Revenue Package to support administrations in their efforts to modernize their tariff classification work and related infrastructure and to ensure fair, efficient and effective revenue collection. The participants showed special interest in the Guide for Technical Update of Preferential Rules of Origin, since the Brazilian administration finds it challenging to deal with the specific problem of different editions of the HS referred to in the trade agreements signed between Brazil and other countries.
A report was made on the situation regarding the organization of Tariff Classification, Valuation and Origin work, as well as on the progress with regard to the preparatory work to implement the HS-2017 amendments in Brazil. In this connection, Brazil foresees no difficulties with the implementation of the complementary 2018 amendments also as from 1 January 2017.