Arab Union of Customs Executives

The Arab Union customs trustee in cooperation with the Arab Union for Standardization and Calibration and the Arab Union for the Development of Industrial Exports organized a joint symposium under the umbrella of the Arab Economic Unity Council entitled "overcoming obstacles and problems to trade exchange between the Arab countries"

Samir Abu Al-Nasr, Secretary-General of the Arab union of Customs trusteee, said that the seminar discusses the main fields to raise the trade exchange between the Arab countries, which is the same window in reducing the release time, the certificate of electronic origin and the unified Arab customs law. Abu Al-Nasr added that  the Arab union customs  trustee calls for all  relevant bodies to  access the solutions and bring the relevant parties closer to those Arab customs issues.

Dr. Sobeih pointed out that the customs trustee is an essential element in the customs process, starting from the arrival of the goods to the Customs until it is handed over to the owner. Since the establishment of the Arab Union of Customs, we are as an Egyptian customs, we support it after we knew its objectives and ambitions. We witnessed signing of agreements with Arab customs and the establishment of a large Arab conference including Arab customs managers, import and export companies and Arab businessmen, as well as customs trustee from all Arab countries.

Mr. Ahmed Shehata, Director General of the Technical Office of the Head of the Egyptian Authority, said that the implementation of the single window in the Egyptian Customs is a national project and a good decision that is necessary to start its inauguration, which has already been done. Yesterday,  we inaugurated the logistic center of the sole window at Cairo airport in the presence of the prime minister one of which is to reduce the time of clearance, reduce the  import cost, reduce the steps of customs clearance, and contracting took place with MTS to execute the one-window project in all logistic centers and in the first of April, will begin in Borsaeed customs and thereafter Demiat.

Shehata explained that MTS does not contradict with the work of the customs trustees. The customs trustee will include the details of the message and submit the documents accompanying one of the company's members, and register the data and after showing the date of examination and supply points, it is a company to onnly execute the customs procedures.

Dr. Mamdouh Rifai, President of the Arab Union of Customs trustee said that the implementation of the single window in Egyptian Customs is a very important step and will facilitate the movement of intra-Arab trade, but for the success of this project we must have sincere trained and qualified trustees to work on this system. In this regard, the Union will organize a major conference on raising awareness among traders and companies on this project and there will be cooperation with the Egyptian Customs to train the trustees on all issues related to the single window. The Union signed a cooperation agreement with the Technical Unit to AGadir and there will be awareness for all commercial traders and society in this Convention and the privileges of this Convention, and how to benefit from which in  the import and export areas related  to the countries of the Convention.

Mohammed Hamid,  General Manager for the issuance of  electronic certificate of origin, said that the general authority to control imports and exports faces  several obstacles, one of which is there should be an item in the agreements between the Arab countries that provides for the recognition of the certificate of electronic origin, and issuing an approved database for exporters , And the export councils refuse to determine a customs item for the exporter, they want to open all export items that the company to export everything and to identify one item, but the Authority is striving to overcome these obstacles, the authority has recently began the service of verification of certificate of origin on its site through introducing the existent number on the certificate, then the certificate  data appear, and in the near future will be willing to link the Customs Department website Authority with the relevant authorities in other countries site electronically to issue electronic certificates of origin.

It is worth mentioning that the symposium also dealt with the different standards among the Arab countries and how to reach a unified Arab standard, and what is the digital economy in the Arab countries.

The symposium was attended by Mr. Moayad Saadi consultant  of the Economic Unity Council, Deputy Ambassador Mohammed Al Rabee, Secretary General of the Economic Unity Council, and some commercial attachés in the Arab Embassies, Egyptian Customs representative Dr. Ahmed Sobih, Mr. Ahmed Shehata, Ibrahhim Al-Farrash, Esam Othman Mohsen Al-Hawari, the General Organization for Export and Import Control, Major General Essam Al-Najjar, Mr. Mohammed Hamid, and the Arab Union of Customs trustees Dr. Mamdouh Rifai, President of the Union, Mr. Taha Qulisi, Vice President, Mr. Samir Abu Al-Nasr, and Mrs. / Rana Al-Jamal director of the President of the Union Office, and Mr. / Mohammed Al--Sakran assistant secretary-general and Mr. / Mohamed Fathi, Director of Public Relations and Dr. / Mariana Mahfouz, director of media sector, and Mr. / Mohammed Yahya member of the General Assembly of the Union, and representatives of the Industrial Export Development, Measurement and Calibration union.