Finally, the Bali Agreement also calls for the creation of a trade facilitation committee, which is both supportive of the recommendations and facilitates national coordination and implementation. To date, only 31% of countries have set up such committees. Of those who have, most do not believe that committees are prepared to look at all TFA13 articles.13 The first step is the single customs window (a solution that may not be considered a single window under the TFA definition).18 This initial effort represents the primary level of customs automation and the creation of automated interfaces with the commercial community. But it generally does not include other government agencies. The case studies presented examine the implementation of individual windows in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Republic of Korea and Singapore. Most of the priorities are In Articles 7 and 10. This indicates that countries intend to implement provisions that promise to improve the highest trade costs, regardless of the complexity of implementation. For example, streamlining procedures – including the introduction of a single window – could reduce trade costs by 2.8%, while automation of procedures could reduce trade costs by 2.4%, according to an OECD study on trade facilitation indicators14. Different countries have made different progress on the articles of the TFA, grouped into three groups of actions related to transparency of rules, improved border management and general support. For example, only 40% of developing and least developed countries have implemented regulatory transparency measures, as shown by OECD data (Chart 3).10 The need for a legislative framework is one of the reasons for this relatively low level. It is in this area that these countries have made the most progress in requesting the publication of information on trade rules. The Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), which was discussed at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Bali, Indonesia in 2013, focuses on ways to speed up the transport, release and release of goods, including transit goods. The pact also outlines the possibilities for effective cooperation between customs and the relevant authorities on trade facilitation and tariff compliance.
Section 1 contains 12 articles that include measures for countries to achieve these goals. Given the number of participants and the processes involved in trade, the scope of a single window can vary considerably in each country, depending on the degree of automation between stakeholders and the resources invested. In general, an option for individual windows extends over three levels. Article 10.4 of the WTO ACCORD calls on Member States to “set up or maintain a single window of time for economic operators to provide participating authorities or agencies with documents and/or data requirements for the importation, export or transit of goods through a single depot.