U.S. Wants to Expand C-TPAT Program to Include Exports

(Journal of Commerce via CSCB)

The United States and the governments of some of its major trading partners are slowly working toward developing mutual recognition of their trade security procedures.

To facilitate mutual recognition, Customs and Border Protection is trying to apply its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program to exporters as well as importers, where its major focus has been to date.

Bradd Skinner, director of the C-TPAT industry partnership program, told the American Association of Exporters and Importers that Customs plans to ask its C-TPAT members for their input on applying the program to export procedures as well as to imports.

Skinner said a pilot program is being developed that will focus on export security but that it will not replace other export security programs.

He said one goal of the program would be to help the U.S. develop mutual recognition of security arrangements between its C-TPAT program and the European Union’s Authorized Economic Operators program, which applies to both imports and exports….

But Walter Boerman, vice president for Royal Philips Electronics, said the EU’s AEO program is still very much in the process of implementation. From his description, AEO has an even more complicated set of requirements than C-TPAT. It has different procedures for every different function in the supply chain, he said. “It requires a lot of paperwork. It’s not easy, and (EU) customs is behaving like accountants.”

Skinner said U.S. Customs is working on developing mutual recognition with several major U.S. trade partners. It has an agreement in place with New Zealand and agreements pending with Canada, and Jordan. It is also developing pacts with Japan, Singapore, Australia and Mexico.