A National Workshop on the use of the Harmonized System (HS) for the classification of goods was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 5 to 9 December 2022. The Workshop was organized jointly by the WCO Secretariat, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan and the WCO Europe ROCB, with the sponsorship of the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) of Korea. It was facilitated by two experts of the WCO Secretariat, and attended, in-person, by 29 officials, and online, with passive attendance, by several officials, all from different branches of Azerbaijan Customs who work on tariff classification related areas, including chemists that work in the Customs laboratory.
The Head of the General Department of Customs Tariff Regulation and Payments, Mr. Mirgasim Vahabov, highlighted the importance of HS classification as one of the pillars of Customs. He point out the impact of tariff classification for international trade and recognized the need of imparting the necessary knowledge to the officials that work in this area in order to be compliant with the provisions of the new edition of the HS. He thanked the WCO and Korea for working together with the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan in order to strengthen this important technical area.
The Workshop’s main focus was to secure uniformity in the interpretation and application of the HS Nomenclature 2022 and on the improvement of institutional capacity to carry out classification in an efficient manner. Furthermore, the Workshop offered an opportunity to discuss the WCO tools and instruments to assist users of the HS in order to modernize their tariff classification work and related infrastructure. Some possible amendments to the HS that should enter into force in 2027 and have already been approved by the Harmonized System Committee were presented and explained to the participants.
Ms. Rubaba Mammadova, Office Manager of the WCO Europe ROCB, emphasizedthe importance of the workshop to create opportunities for effective exchange of information between the WCO experts and the participants and for detailed and fruitful discussions on the HS.
The participants worked on several case studies of tariff classification in different areas such as agricultural products, food supplements, medicaments, chemical products, wood products, textiles, and machinery. One participant presented the organizational structure and functions of the Customs Administration, including details on the tariff classification model in Azerbaijan.
In closing the workshop, the Director of the ROCB Europe, Ms. Narynkul Tagainazar, thanked the WCO and Korea for their ongoing capacity building support. She expressed her confidence on the practical benefits for the participants and the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan after the discussions on a wide range of topics on tariff classification held during the workshop.