The WCO has published the amendments to the Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature accepted by all 158 Contracting Parties to the HS Convention.
The accepted amendments include 351 sets of amendments, divided as follows: the agricultural, food and tobacco sectors - 77; the chemical sector 58; the wood sector - 31; the textile sector - 21; the base metal sector - 27; the machinery and electrical and electronic goods sector - 63; the transport sector - 22; other sectors - 52.
The Preamble of the HS Convention emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the HS is kept up to date in light of changes in technology and patterns of international trade. Adaptation to current trade through the recognition of new product streams and addressing environmental and social issues of global concern are the major features of the HS 2022 amendments.
To achieve this, there has been more than 4 years of hard work within the Harmonized System Committee (HSC), the Harmonized System Review Sub-Committee (RSC) and the Scientific Sub-Committee (SSC) put into the 351 sets of amendments.
The WCO Council at its 133rd /134th Sessions in June 2019 adopted the recommended amendments prepared by the HSC. On 4 July 2019, the Secretary General of the WCO notified Contracting Parties of the amendments adopted by the Council. Since there is no objection from any Contracting Party to the recommended amendments outstanding after the period of six months allowed for such objections under Article 16.2 of the Convention, the recommended amendments are deemed to be accepted in accordance with Article 16.3 of the Convention. In accordance with Article 16.4 (b), these accepted amendments shall enter into force for all Contracting Parties on 1 January 2022.