Consultations on WTO Trade Facilitation Negotiations

(DFAIT)

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAIT) has requested assistance from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to collect comments from CBSA Stakeholders on the current proposals put forward at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round Trade Facilitation negotiations. CBSA has in turn contacted the members of the Border Commercial Consultative Committee, including I.E.Canada.

The CBSA actively supports DFAIT at the WTO Negotiating Group for Trade Facilitation (NGTF) meetings, as the majority of the NGTF's work focuses on border-related rules and procedures. As the NGTF is moving towards creation of a text for a potential WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, DFAIT has posted a notice on its website seeking views and concerns from interested Canadian stakeholders.

To this end, stakeholders with an interest in border-related issues, such as customs fees and procedures, transit of merchandise through third countries, publication and transparency of foreign trade regulations, and sharing of export information by customs administrations, are invited to submit comments on proposals currently under discussion in the context of the Doha Round Trade Facilitation negotiations.

The deadline for comments is August 1, 2008.

To access the DFAIT website go here. You may either submit your comments directly through the DFAIT website, or through the association by sending them to Amesika Baeta at abaeta@iecanada.com.