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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Harmonized System

World Customs Organisation

WCO News, World Customs Organisation, 55, February 2008

February 28, 2008

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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Harmonized System

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Topic: classification

The Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) came into being at the same time as the Brussels Nomenclature and the Brussels Definition of Value (BDV), and these two Conventions formed the pillars of the Organization at its beginnings in 1952. As time went on, international trade developments gathered pace and Customs’ missions evolved. At the same time, demand for use of the Nomenclature grew not only for Customs revenue collection purposes, but also for manifold socio-economic reasons. As a result, the Brussels Nomenclature developed into the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS). This System, which entered into force in 1988, is the common language for global trade.

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