Customs and business, equally reaping rewards from trade facilitation

Trade facilitation is sometimes mistakenly viewed as speeding up the clearance of goods regardless of revenue and other implications, thereby solely delivering benefi ts to the private sector. Indeed, when the WTO Doha Development Round started, some observers wondered if trade facilitation might not be better described as trade effi cacy. Th is implies that the goal of the negotiations should include the achievement of the broad objectives of Customs controls, such as revenue collection, security and community protection in an effi cient manner, thereby facilitating legitimate trade.