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The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has recently, after several pilots (amongst others in the Netherlands), launched an online tool for the verification of preferential origin statements. … The tool is named Genesis, after the ancient Greek word for origin, which is also the name of the first book of the Holy Bible and one of the world’s most popular progressive rock bands. So the obvious questions are: how progressive is this tool and does it rock?

The customs industry, together with all the stakeholders such as policymakers, customs authorities, customs brokers, logistics, and trading companies, is becoming increasingly intertwined with … sustainability policies aiming to mitigate the impact of climate change. These policies include the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), deforestation, new corporate sustainability regulations, etc., but also e-customs and aspects of the proposed EU customs reform.

On May 30, 2024, the Advocate General (AG) of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) issued a very interesting opinion in the case Harley-Davidson v. Commission (C-297/23 P). This … case, currently awaiting a final decision by the CJEU, holds substantial implications for importers needing to determine the non-preferential origin of goods within the EU.

In 2023, Côte d’Ivoire introduced a new and modern system of advance customs rulings. This development followed two workshops organised in Côte d’Ivoire in May 2023 with the German Alliance for … Trade Facilitation and under the aegis of the EU-WCO Programme for the Harmonized System in Africa funded by the EU. The workshops were part of a wider capacity-building programme to support Côte d’Ivoire in meeting its WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement obligations - in particular, Article 3 of the TFA which requires signatory parties to provide an option to apply advance rulings on origin and classification.

Non-manipulation certificate is a document required when goods of preferential origin are unloaded, stored and/or subjected to treatments necessary to maintain the goods in a third country while … being shipped from the country of dispatch to the country of destination.

Sustainability-related legislation for material goods falls within the scope of customs control when goods cross international borders. But what exactly does 'sustainability' mean?

The rules of non-preferential origin are specific provisions, developed from principles established by national legislation or international agreements ('origin criteria'), applied by a country … to determine the origin of goods.

Rules of preferential origin are an essential element of preferential trade agreements. They define the conditions under which a product is regarded as originating and can benefit from lower … rates of duty upon importation in the country of destination.