“Single Window is defined as a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardized information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements”
UN/CEFACT RECOMMENDATION No. 33
Minutes No. 13 WG of the Working group
Meeting of the Interagency Working Group on the implementation of Single Window – Local Solution Technology in the area of operation of Southern Customs and ports of Odessa region
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Kyiv |
15April 2014 |
Venue: 1, Degtyarivska Str.,
Meeting start: 11.00
Meeting end: 13.00
Participants: Annex No.1
Participants of Interagency and expert group: Annex No.2
Agenda
Time: 15 min
Speaker: Platonov O.I., deputy head of IWG, UKRZOVNISHTRANS President;
Time: 15 min
Speaker: Mario Apostolov, IWG expert, UNECE Regional Advisor, Trade Department
Time: 15 min
Speaker: Platonov O.I., Deputy IWG Head, UKRZOVNISHTRANS Association
Time: 10 min
Sepaeker: Platonov O.I., Deputy IWG Head, UKRZOVNISHTRANS Association President;
The meeting was opened by Shelkunov V.I., deputy head of Interagency Working Group on the implementation of Single Window – Local Solution technology, President of the National Committee of International chamber of commerce (ICC Ukraine), declared the agenda, that was approved unanimously
Shelkunov V.I. told about business meetings on the issues of transport field development, that took place in the period after the last meeting of interagency group and issues that were discussed.
He informed the participants about the understanding and support to the Single Window – Local Solution project both at the level of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Proposed to shift to certain issues of the agenda.
First item of agenda:
On the implementation of IWG meetings decisions on the implementation of Single Window – Local Solution technology in the area of Southern Customs operation and ports of Odessa Region.
Platonov O.I. informed the participants of the meeting on the status of the decisions of earlier meeting of IWG (Annex No. 3 – Register of the implementation of the decisions of IWG dd. 04.03.2014) and noted that only one decision wasn’t implemented that is decision concerning considering the possibilities of shift from document transfer format (for example, scanned in PDF format) to the transfer of electronic notes in XML format, certified with electronic digital signature.
Proposed to determine what Ministries and other central executive bodies are ready for implementation of this task at national level because there are no commentaries concerning this decision.
Reminded that in 2012 work on the draft resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers on establishment of the Interagency working group and taking into account procedure of the Cabinet of Ministers, this work didn’t have any progress and today the interagency group works in the regime of implementation of Prime-Minister’s requests following the next scheme – meeting, reporting to the Prime-Minister, request of the Prime-Minister concerning the fulfillment of the decisions and further work.
Noted that today it is necessary to reach a new level of IWG work and proposed participants of the meeting inform the heads of ministries and institutions that it is important to find time for Single Window – Local Solution project and national strategy of the international trade and logistics facilitations in order to fulfill these tasks in the framework of duties.
Informed about good results in the project (Annex No. 4 – Reference concerning the implementation of Single Window – Local Solution project), despite the critics from the port operators, sea agents and their representatives and freight forwarders who want free services of the system that is financed by the State Budget.
Informed that there are issues that must be considered at the Forth International Seminar UNECE that will take place 27 May in Odessa – either the further work will based at the principles of public private partnership or will stay in the form of public private cooperation when there are some risks that the system may fail to be self-efficient.
Informed that the established module on queue management that is now being improved, gave specific result of practical elimination of extraordinary handling of applications (orders) of the freight forwarders.
Expressed position concerning the access to the system by the representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine with other government authorities that do not perform direct border control but perform their duties according to the laws of Ukraine that regulate their activity and influence the process of control functions in order to register their decisions in the system according to the existing customs classificatory of customs control and other customs formalities.
Underlined the necessity to generalize all the experience gained and possibilities of the customs service to implement the positions of Customs Code and reaching 30 minutes threshold for cargo handling from the moment of its presentation for control till the moment of customs handling.
He also informed about the beginning of the work at how to connect different ministries and authorities and commercial organizations that perform shipping and handling of cargo so that operators could use one interface directly from their working places.
Informed that Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine with representatives of Customs Affairs Department performed offsite meetings in Odessa where the representatives of the Customs Affairs Department in four days were meeting with the operators at certain control points and were learning the system. Minister listened to all those who wished to tell about the issues that do not satisfy the necessities of the users.
Voronoy V.I. informed the participants that in Odessa port before establishing the modules business process analysis is conducted with their optimization, testing and only after this module is implemented into the industrial operation by relevant order of the Head of SE AIFFU.
He emphasized that PCS is not the system of Odessa port, but the system that will spread at all the ports of Ukraine. Today this system is being implemented in Illichivsk and Yuzhniy ports, there are negotiations of implementation of this experience in Mykolaiv port. Ministry of infrastructure approved the plan concerning the implementation of PCS at sea ports of Ukraine. They have already started the research of business processes. He told that container lines are ready to sign the Agreement on the information cooperation. In order to implement the IWG decision meeting with Ukrzaliznytsya and activity plan for joining Ukrzaliznytsya the information system was approved.
Proposed to create comprehensive list of groundings for use of control and weight procedures by the officials of the Ministry of Revenues and Taxes of Ukraine during the handling of the cargo in sea port checkpoint and its Instruction (including using the PCS) (Annex No.5 – List of regulations).
Applied to the Secretariat of IWG to write letters to the Ministries and other central executive bodies whose representatives are participants of IWG concerning the update of IWG participants list.
Noted that Director of European port community systems at the meeting concerning the development of sea ports in Istanbul determined that the way of Odessa port implementing PCS for the last 2 years that many European ports can’t make for even a longer term.
Passenger Sales Agents training
RESOLVED:
In charge: Ministries and other bodies of central executive power
In charge: IWG participants
In charge: SE USPA
In charge: SE USPA
In charge: Ministry of Revenues and Duties, SE USPA
Deadline: 01.06.2014
In charge: Ministry of Revenues and Duties, SE USPA
Deadline: 22.05.2014
In charge: Security Service of Ukraine, Ministry of Home Affairs of Ukraine, SE USPA, Data processing center PPL 33-35
Deadline: 01.06.2014
In charge: Ministry of Revenues and Duties of Ukraine
Deadline: 01.06.2014
In charge: Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Revenues and Duties of Ukraine, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, Ministry of Finance, State Border Control Service Administration
Second issue of agenda:
On the strategy of international trade and logistics facilitation in Ukraine.
Apostolov M. noticed possible risks concerning the implementation of trade facilitation in Ukraine, informed where trade facilitation is developing, and where no according to OECD.
Informed that the worst situation is in formalities automation, that is why the work of IWG is so important PCS. Told about different variants of single windows in Europe. Proposed to establish national trade facilitation body basing at the Interagency working group taking into account its experience in single Window implementation at Odessa port (Annex No. 7 – Presentation).
Reminded about the proposition to conduct in cooperation with IWG and Ministry of Economic Development and Trade one day seminar on the Instruction of UNECE on the implementation of trade facilitation (TFIG) for all stakeholders among state and commercial organizations.
Shelkunov I.V. informed about the letter of Ministry of Infrastructure where Ministry supported IWG initiative concerning the need to develop national strategy and emphasized the need of follow-up revision of document for its compliance to the requirements of legislation in force, and gave consent to take part in the follow-up revision of the documents if needed.
Guzhva I.Y. reported that interest of Ukraine, especially Ministry of Economy has increased in the context of trade facilitation after signing the Bali package. Informed about the intentions to study recommendations of different organizations and then start the development of national trade facilitation strategy or concept, establishment of national working groups and conduction of seminar at the national level in order to learn the existing practice, recommendations of international organizations, European integration colleagues, opinion of business, concerning the challenges and their vision, planned for 29 April, and about the plans. Basing at the mentioned above to start the development of national strategy and road map for its implementation. Emphasized the need to implement Single Window in Odessa port that should be taken into account while planning mutual work.
Fedorov O.O. reminded that according to the decision of IWG concerning the consideration of the project strategy and provision of commentaries only Ministry of Infrastructure gave its feedback. Emphasized the need to express the opinion on the document and trade procedure implementation issues in Ukraine and to determine if it is necessary to update main trends in trade facilitation in Ukraine.
Videnov A. informed that an agreement was signed between Ukraine and European Union concerning the implementation of framework strategy for customs cooperation development for regular high level meetings where it is possible to discuss possibility of Ukraine to get assistance from European Commission and certain EU member-states to develop the fields where economic operators work and where there is need for trade facilitation, etc. Ukraine made a lot and there are certain provisions in the Customs Code of Ukraine 2012 concerning the authorized economic operators that gave and give possibilities to use these trade facilitation concepts or strategies. But in order to use these provisions Ministry of Finance must sign the order. From 2012 this order has not been signed yet that is why this concept does not work in Ukraine in fact. Taking into account mentioned above ICC Ukraine assistance is desirable as there are technical and political issues and the concept will not work without the order.
Informed that in 2011 Ukraine made several sectoral budget support programs from the European Commission. One of them is assistance for the state border management improvement in the amount of EUR 66mln. for customs and border control services to improve the conditions. The Agreement does not determine certainly where to spend these funds, decision is up to Ukraine, but at the same time the Agreement has certain indexes concerning trade facilitation, for example, cargo handling time while crossing the border, amount of physical controls, etc. Today there are specialists in Ukraine hired by the European Commission to estimate the progress not only Ukrainian Customs and Border Guard Service, but Ukraine as whole before further transfer of funds to the Ministry of Finance.
Informed that EU Mission planned to measure border-crossing time and cargo handling and is now working at this methodology in cooperation with representatives of Ministry of Revenues to get the real picture.
Emphasized on the need of joint efforts of all the Ministries and institutions to implement the project and importance of the experience on its implementation during the work on the Single Window at the national level and establishment and implementation of trade facilitation strategy in Ukraine.
Voronoi V.I. emphasized that during his work in transport field a lot of interagency working groups were established and of Single Window – Local Solution technology implementation Interagency Working Group gave certain results and other work must be performed in the framework of this group.
Fedorov O.O. noted that participants of IWG are experienced and unindifferent specialists that work or worked in transport and customs fields, worked at the development of framework security system in the supply chain, who learnt the relevant researches. Proposed in case customs service will offer European Commission conduct researches to measure procedures time, perform it at Odessa port as port is the place where all type of transport meet, there is a port community system that will allow to conduct researches (measures) at each business-process segment, it will be possible to see necessary changes.
Proposed participants of IWG to give its vision of trade and logistics facilitation strategy.
Golubyatnikov M.I. emphasized that it is necessary for the regulative bodies to consider all the regulating acts, create data base in order to develop mechanism to determine the beginning and end of cargo handling procedure.
Shelkunov B.I. proposed to give expert conclusions and propositions concerning the measure of handling procedure time.
Platonov O.I. proposed to apply to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade to inform the Interagency Working Group concerning the attitude of Ministry of Economic Development to the development of IWG international trade and logistics facilitation procedure strategy; recommend to assign Ministry of Economic Development and Trade as leading organization in this field.
Informed that delegation to UN/CEFACT is still not determined. There is nobody who can vote for the decisions on Ukraine. And this actually shows the attitude of the Ministry of Economic Development to trade facilitation issue.
Commented those ways that can be promoted by implementing strategy. This may be law, or state dedicated program, or Order of the President that will certainly who and what should do, or this will be just act of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (instruction or order). (Annex No.8)
Emphasized that the whole Interagency Working Group should work, and Secretariat of IWG generalize incoming materials. Informed that only Minister of Infrastructure (Annex No. 9) and Ministry of Revenues
Reminded on the responsibility concerning reports on implementation of IWG decisions.
RESOLVED:
In charge: members of IWG
In charge: expert group
In charge: Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Third item of agenda
On the approval of Fourth UNECE International Seminar program on the international trade facilitation in the framework of Transport Week 27 May 2014 in Odessa with the support of the Government of Ukraine.
Platonov O.I. informed about the Fourth International Seminar dedicated to the international trade and logistics and Single Window, that is organized by UNECE in cooperation with the Government of Ukraine 27 May 2014 in Odessa.
Proposed to approve draft seminar program (Annex No. 10).
Resolved:
3.1. To take the information to account.
3.2. To approve draft program of the Fourth UNECE International Seminar on the trade facilitation in the framework of the Transport Week 27 May 2014 in Odessa with the support of the Government of Ukraine.
3.3. Propose the heads of the Ministries and other central executive power bodies take part in the Fourth International UNECE Seminar concerning international trade facilitation.
In charge: IWG Secretariat
Fourth item of agenda
On the date of the following International Working Group meeting on Single Window – Local Solution technology implementation
Platonov O.I. proposed to conduct regular meeting of IWG after the work on the results of the Fourth UNECE seminar on trade facilitation.
RESOLVED:
4. To charge the Secretariat of Interagency Working group to organize the Fourth IWG meeting in June 2013 after the work on the conclusions of the Fourth UNECE international seminar on trade facilitation.
In charge: IWG Secretariat
Head V.I. Shelkunov
