“The Collaboration Meeting with the Public and Private Sector to Implement WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement” was organized on 14th December 2016 at Lao Plaza Hotel, Vientiane Capital by Department of Import and Export an office of Trade Facilitation Secretariat (TFS), under the support of the Second Trade Development Facility (TDF2). The meeting was chaired by Mr. Khemdeth Sihavong, Deputy Director General of Department of Import and Export, Ministry of Industry and Commerce. The meeting was participated by 40 public sectors.
The objective of this meeting is to consult with public sector on the preparation to extend the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) that the TFS has create an action plan for the agreement. It reviewed Category B: Measures that need time to revise regulations and readiness to implement the agreement, and Category C: measures that need time and assistant from international organizations. This meeting is a continuous meeting from the meeting with private sector on 8th December 2016.
The participants to the meeting were actively raised questions about measures in order to clarify the preparation of the implementation and to apply it in practice in the future. The meeting agreed that (1) There shall be a guidance for sectors on the legislation of sub-regulations in order to ensure that sub-regulations issued by public sectors are consistent with the laws and primary regulations; (2) The regulations on fees and penalty shall be widely disseminated to private sector; (3) The regulations on the Advance Ruling of customs shall also be widely disseminated. The meeting further discussed about other issues in order to prepare for the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreement that will help cut time and cost for business operators in Lao PDR.
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