The Council meets regularly with ASEAN Directors General of Customs, the ASEAN Customs Coordination Committee, the ASEAN Joint Consultative and Trade Facilitation Committee, ASEAN Economic Ministers and other related ministries to discuss trade and investment issues and contribute to the private sector on how to make ASEAN more attractive to foreign investors. The U.S. CBA Customs and Trade Facilitation Committee has been a member of the ASEAN Customs Directors Meeting for 20 years. In 2016, the Council deepened its partnership with ASEAN Customs officials by organizing seminars on the margins of the ASEAN Working Party on Customs Enforcement and Compliance (CECWG) and the ASEAN Working Party on Customs Procedures and Trade Facilitation (CPTFWG). In early 2017, the Council also began directly involving the ASEAN Customs Coordination Committee (CCF) to explore the potential of cooperation projects. New engagements with the ASEAN Joint Consultative Committee on Trade Facilitation and the ASEAN Electronic Commerce Coordination Committee also support whole-of-government approaches to critical trade facilitation issues. Another objective of the Committee is to improve members` understanding of ASEAN customs systems through frequent updates and analyses of regulatory changes, as well as access to key contact points and documents. From a Customs perspective, the main objectives of EC-ASEAN relations are (vi) the product remains under the customs control of the intermediate Party, including its free trade areas and customs-approved customs territories. the product must not be placed on the market or consumed through the intermediary; ASEAN+1 trade agreements encourage companies of all sizes in ASEAN to trade with the entire Asia-Pacific region. Although the depth of these agreements varies, companies operating in ASEAN can use these free trade agreements to gain better access to new export markets for their low-cost products through simplified export and import procedures.
(b) in the case of several goods declared under the same AIFTA Certificate of Origin, a problem encountered with one of the listed goods does not affect or delay the granting of preferential tariff treatment and the clearance of the other goods listed in that AIFTA Certificate of Origin; Paragraph 16 (a) (iii) may apply to problem points. The ASEAN Work Programme on E-Commerce is a cross-sectoral initiative to facilitate e-commerce by updating and modernizing infrastructure, technological capacity, consumer protection, the regulatory framework, payment systems, competition rules and logistics. In 2018, Member States concluded an ASEAN Regional Agreement on E-Commerce through the ASEAN E-Commerce Coordination Committee, a cross-sectoral body that leads most e-commerce development initiatives. The agreement provides an opportunity for countries to commit to improving customs clearance systems to facilitate the international shipment of e-commerce products. The committee`s objective is to improve members` understanding of customs systems, establish working relationships with regulators, support the implementation of the ASEAN Trade Facilitation Framework and support its extension to new policy areas. This will be achieved by involving ASEAN Customs administrations, the ASEAN Secretariat and other related ASEAN ministries in discussions on customs and trade facilitation issues. The committee serves as a formal and permanent resource for ASEAN as well as for individual member countries. The Council`s mandate allows for the exchange of information on customs legislation, control procedures and methods, the exchange of officials, joint training, simplification, harmonisation and computerisation of procedures.
The ASEAN AEO Program assists member states in implementing national AEO programs based on the World Customs Organization`s SAFE Framework of Standards (FoS) and ultimately seeks to integrate national AEO programs through a network of mutual recognition agreements. The program promises to help trusted traders operate more easily throughout the ASEAN economic community. National AEO programs are active in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, while the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia are in various stages of development. In May 1997, the Council authorised the Commission to negotiate, on behalf of the Community, customs cooperation agreements with the ASEAN countries, taking into account the 1996 Commission Communication promoting enhanced cooperation in key areas of trade and economic development, including customs. .