22nd eATA Working Group meeting held virtually

The 22nd Meeting of the eATA Working Group (WG) was held on 30 May 2024 virtually via the Zoom platform. In total, 151 experts from 51 Contracting Parties to the ATA and Istanbul conventions, as well as observers and international organizations registered for the meeting.

In his opening remarks, Brendan O’Hearn, Deputy Director in charge of the Facilitation Sub-Directorate at the World Customs Organization (WCO), welcomed Contracting Parties and observers to the eATA WG. He thanked the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation (ICC WCF) for playing a leading role in the implementation of the electronic ATA Pilot Project, stressing the importance of digitalization of the Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnet for simpler, safer, cheaper, and more efficient ATA Carnet procedures both for Customs and private sector stakeholders. He highlighted the importance of electronic Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD) distribution system, developed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for greater facilitation of the temporary management of vehicles. He expressed his desire that this meeting would contribute to a more efficient and secure trading environment through innovation in ATA procedures, with fruitful and result-oriented discussions.

The WG designated Jainendra Singh Kandhari from India as Chairperson of the Meeting and discussed various topics to develop the eATA Carnet System, including new developments on the eATA Pilot Project and eCPD distribution system with presentations from the ICC and FIA. It was highlighted that the ICC prepared the new Customs Preparation Guide and Customs Readiness Checklist to help monitor the national preparation steps and updated the ATA Carnet Customs User Guide along with the QuickStart Wall Chart that will help Customs on how to process e-Carnet declarations.

Additionally, delegates were informed that the Republic of Seychelles has acceded to the Istanbul Convention and its Annexes with reservations to B.8., D and E, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia submitted a notice of accession to Annexes B2, B3, and B5 of the Istanbul Convention on 22 February 2024.

Regarding national experiences, the meeting continued with the experience shared by the United States’ National Guaranteeing Association on the first successful test of a digital ATA carnet at JFK Airport and also with the experience shared by Austria Customs in implementing their eATA pilot project.

The WG discussed and developed the items to be reported to the next Administrative Committee meeting in December 2024 where they will undergo further discussion and development.