Freedom of Transit
2013-05-22 23:29:01International trade often travel a long way to reach its destination. Traditionally waterways have been a preferred (seas/rivers) for transportation. The Vikings took their long boats to trade and concur and many cities along rivers have grown rich due to their strategic positions on trading lanes in main land Europe.
Transport by sea is also today often the cheapest alternative while airborne transports are becoming increasingly more important for time critical or valuable goods. The advantage with seas and air is that the routes used are on general terms agreed to be “everybody’s”. Ships are not taxed using the high seas nor does anyone transiting a country flying at 10.000 feet declare goods or pay duties.
Generally speaking if you live in a coastal economy your country is likely to have a GDP that is significantly higher than that of your landlocked neighbour. This one reason to why transit regimes and access to the sea and trade routes are so important.
The use of air and seas is regulated by different treaties one of them being the 1958 Geneva Convention of the High Seas which define the term “high seas” as all parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial sea or in the internal waters of a State. The treaty also declares that the high seas are being “open to all nations; no State may validly purport to subject any part of them to its sovereignty”. From a trade facilitation point of view article 3 states “In order to enjoy the freedom of the seas on equal terms with coastal States, States having no sea coast should have free access to the sea.” And (a) “To the State having no sea coast, on a basis of reciprocity, free transit through their territory”.[1] The term “free” does not necessarily imply free of charge since the country of transit potentially would like to have something in return. In many countries this means fees or conditions such as the goods having to be transported by vehicles registered in the country of transit.
Perhaps the most important convention on the topic of the seas is the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that speaks on the topic in Article 125 “Right of access to and from the sea and freedom of transit”. UNCLOS explicitly addresses the need for bilateral, sub regional or regional agreements between the land-locked States and transit States concerned.[2] These agreements may regulate the right and ensuing conditions of the contracting nations to transport goods on the territory of other contracting parties – a win win situation. A total of 165 countries had ratified the convention at the beginning of 2013.[3]
A treaty or convention is normally first signed then it needs to be ratified and potentially be followed by multi or bi lateral agreements and also in many cases needs to be included in the national legislation before it will or can be enforced.
Since access to the seas and markets often involves land transportation the issue of dealing with transit by truck has been on the agenda of the international community for many years since facilitation and the freedom of movement of vessels, land vehicles and goods is not a new thing. What happened particularly after the creation of the League of Nations in the early 1920ies was a kind of reaction against the earlier protectionist approach endorsed by many nations and the present conventions worked on or in place could be said are a part of a free trade system that has been around for the last 100 years.
The 1973 Kyoto Convention is another important work in the area of transit and Customs role in trade which was revised in the late 1990ies and now is the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC). Due to the diligent work of the World Customs Organisation the Revised Kyoto Convention is now acceded by 85 countries which cover 80% of global trade. RKC states that “The Customs shall allow goods to be transported under Customs transit in their territory”.[4]
Have you ever thought of the fact that pallets are never declared or regarded as taxable? Probably not, but their use and exemption from having to be declared is also regulated in a convention. There are actually five UN conventions in place dedicated to transport equipment.[5]
As mentioned acceding a convention or a treaty is only the beginning. A number of treaties solemnly signed ended up never being implemented because of second thoughts of governments, which then delayed or used other procedures to escape their obligations. A treaty can be signed as a gesture of political significance and then a state can for times indefinite delay ratification. As the saying goes “talk is cheap” and indeed it takes a lot more to actually put word into actions particularly when a country due to historical and other reasons do not embrace the concept and sees little benefit of letting their neighbours use their country for transit. High level political commitment and regional cooperation are important ingredients for optimised trade facilitation.
Conventions constitute a coherent body of international law .The Conventions and Treaties and their ensuing agreements and legislative amendments which have to be put into a national context, create the legal foundation for what Customs later will or will not be able to do at the border.
United Nations Convention on the High Seas http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/8_1_1958_high_seas.pdf
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS) http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/closindx.htm
Revised Kyoto Convention http://unstats.un.org/UNSD/trade/WS%20Bangkok06/Workshop%20materials/KYOTO%20Convention.pdf
[5]1960 Brussels Convention on pallets, the 1956 and 1972 Geneva Customs Convention on
Containers, 1960 Brussels Convention on Packings, 1994 Convention on Pool Containers.
2017-12-02 13:24:40KGH proposes new Border Solution post-Brexit
Lars Karlsson, President KGH Border Services and MD KGH Global Consulting, presented his report ”SmartBorders 2.0” to the European Parliament on Tuesday 28 November. It was the EP Constitutional Committee that had commissioneed the academic research report from Karlsson and KGH. The report outlines a possible border solution between EU and UK post Brexit.
2017-12-02 13:09:33KGH Border Services is the best Border Management Consultancy 2017
KGH Border Services has been awarded as Best Border Management Consultancy Partner Global 2017 by CFI. “We are constantly growing our business and 2017 has been our best year ever. We are extremely pleased that our partners and clients appreciate our services and delivery” says Lars Karlsson, president of KGH Border Services and MD KGH Global Consulting.
2016-12-13 13:31:12The UAEO Program – a modern AEO program
The UAE AEO Program (UAEO) was launched on October 16, 2016, by Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The program has been developed by KGH Border Services in close collaboration with Dubai Customs and UAE Federal Customs, and it will be implemented throughout the United Arab Emirates.
2016-10-21 10:31:17KGH - We build the Future
We are an international Border Consultant. We are experts on border efficiency. We know what works. We have done it before.
2016-10-13 17:21:21KGH Border Services at the Swedish Customs-Trade Symposium
Today, The Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Swedish Confederation of Transport Enterprise and Swedish Customs arranged the annual Customs-Trade Symposium in Stockholm. Lars Karlsson, KGH Border Services, presented Customs trends under the theme "Back to the Future".
2016-09-26 20:26:41European Union Customs Code
The new Customs Code UCC is gradually implemented from 1 May 2016 to reach full capacity by the end of 2020. The Customs Union is a foundation of the European Union and is one of the essential ingredients of the single market. A single market requires a common application of common rules at the external borders and that means that all 28 Customs Administrations of the 500 million inhabitants of EU must act as one. As we all can agree this is a major challenge.
2016-09-26 20:11:42Trusted Trade Lanes – Improved Supply Chain Visibility
Traders are interested in predictability as well as supply chain security and so is perhaps not surprisingly, also border agencies but maybe not for the same reasons. For trade delays and security issues have can have a direct negative economic impact. For Customs delays and supply chain unpredictability complicates planning and resource management which also has negative economic consequences.
2016-09-26 20:07:31Standardisation for Non-Intrusive Inspection
During the WCO Technology and Innovation Forum last October in Rotterdam, the WCO on the initiative of its member states and in particular the Netherlands Customs, are now pushing standardisation in order to improve the use of scanned images of trucks and containers. System integration or "single window environments" that enable Customs Administrations to manage the images and other information stored at the point of scanning, is important since many administrations now are deploying equipment from different manufacturers.
2016-09-26 20:04:01A new generation of AEO goes operational
We are now starting to see a new modern generation of holistic AEO programmes, combining the elements of Trusted Trader schemes and Authorised Economic Operator concepts into one single very powerful model.
2016-09-26 19:56:54UAE AEO to be officially launched in October
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is presently developing and implementing a State-of-the-Art AEO programme called UAE AEO. It is the Federal Customs Authority of UAE that coordinates the programme as a national AEO model.
2016-09-26 19:49:44Successful ATT Opening!
On July 1st the new Australian Trusted Trader (ATT) programme went live and was opened for “express of interest” (applications) from companies. During the first hours of opening more than 160 companies expressed an interest to join the programme. A very successful start for the new concept!
2016-04-29 09:54:37AEO Brazil presentation at SwedCham
Excellent magazine Nordic Light from SwedCham published an article about Lars Karlsson making speech about AEO Brazil at SwedCham Brazil in Sao Paulo last month.
2016-04-29 08:13:59Sad loss for KGH, Africa and the World of Customs
Earlier this week we received the sad news that our colleague and friend Dr. Chriticles Pandeli Mwansa had deseased. Chriticles Mwansa was an ordinary Senior Member of the KGH International Advisory Board since 2012.
2016-03-13 13:10:20Dubai Customs AEO Program in the press
Last week Dubai Customs and KGH Border Services delivered presentations on AEO in general and the Dubai AEO program in specific during a Trade Compliance Conference in Dubai. The conference was covered by the press.
2015-09-05 08:07:49KGH & AEO - our home
KGH is designing, developing and supporting implementation of Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) and Trusted Trader (TT) together with Governments, Customs Administrations and companies all around the world.
2015-08-25 17:25:08KGH gets contract to support Dubai Customs with AEO
KGH Border Services has been awarded a contract to support Dubai Customs in the design, development and implementation of a state-of-the-art Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme and Mutual Recognitions Agreement(MRA) model.
2015-07-29 10:19:09Trade Compliance - The Movie!
On May 19th, KGH Border Services together with ICI.BR organized the event the year, the Trade Compliance 2015 conference at WTC in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is the movie from the event. A full house with 200 Brazilian and multinational companies participated.
2015-03-25 08:19:42Australian Trusted Trader Programme in the news
The February-March 2015 issue of AirCargo Asia-Pacific talks about the Trusted Trader Programme currently being developed by Australian Customs and Border Protection Services in collaboration with KGH Border Services.
2014-12-15 13:58:28The New KGH Movie
KGH has developed a new film about our company to demonstrate our wide range of services for clients in Government and the private sector. Please don't miss it. You can watch it here.
2014-12-15 13:50:45EU-China seminar on Customs Professional Training and Capacity Building
In late October KGH Border Services President Lars Karlsson, was invited as one of the international speakers at an EU-China seminar at Shanghai Customs College. Mr. Karlsson presented his view of training and capacity building, and KGH:s advanced training solutions for Governments and the private sector that we are offering to clients all around the world.
2014-12-12 10:12:27Trade Facilitation in Ethiopia
Ethiopia is working on improving trade facilitation and investment climate through the introduction of an Electronic Single Window (ESW). KGH has provided technical assistance and international expertise in this effort.
2014-12-12 09:44:27AEO in Brazil has been launched
KGH Border Services is together with Allianca PROCOMEX and the Federation of Brazil Industry (CNI) supporting the design, development and implementation of the Brazil Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programme called @eo.br. The programme was officially launched on December 10.
2014-12-04 13:52:09KGH won the Australian Trusted Trader/AEO contract
KGH Border Services has in on an open tender and in fierce competition won a multi-year contract to support Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS) in designing, developing , building and implementing the Australian Trusted Trader/AEO programme.
2014-10-15 15:26:03KGH Border Services at the GTDW2014 in Dubai
This month Lars Karlsson, President KGH Border Services, is moderator and speaker at the Global Trade Development Week 2014 in Dubai. More than 700 high-level participants have registered for the event.
2014-10-10 10:59:46KGH Business Report
The KGH Business Report 2013 is released. Read it here. Enjoy!
2014-09-01 09:31:35KGH at Copacabana
The development of the Brazil AEO programme and AEO MRA model continues. KGH Border Services is together with Procomex supporting Receita Federal in developing and implementing the programme in this huge country, from Brasilia to Santos, from Sao Paulo to Rio.
2014-08-08 08:35:16Lars Karlsson on AEO in Brazil
KGH Border Services is contracted by PROCOMEX to support Receita Federal, Brazil Customs, in the development and implementation of an Authorised Economic Operator Programme (AEO) and later to develop a model for AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA).
2014-06-19 14:17:00The fastest border in the world
This is Svinesund, the fastest and most modern border crossing in the world. The border between Sweden and Norway is where we developed and implemented Single Window and One-Stop-Shop.
2014-06-19 14:14:39aoe.br - The Brazil AEO programme
KGH Border Services work with Procomex in supporting Receita Federal (Brazil Customs) in the development of the AEO programme. During the 10 year celebration of Procomex, Under Secretary Dr. Ernani Checcucci, Director General of Brazil Customs, announced the new name of the Brazil AEO programme to be launched later this year at a busoness conference in Sao Paulo on 26 May 2014. More than 300 companies participated.
2014-06-19 14:09:08INCU Conference in Baku
On the 21-23 of May the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) held its Inaugural Conference “Trade Facilitation Post-Bali: Putting Policy into Practice” in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan. The conference was jointly organised by the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU) and the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan and hosted by the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
2014-06-19 13:49:30KGH in Uruguay
KGH Border Servces has been rewarded a contract to develop the next steps of the Uruguay AEO programme and a national model for AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA). At a start-up meeting in Montevideo, President Lars Karlsson and his team, met with the top Management of Uruguay Customs and the Uruguay AEO team to discuss the planning of the project and the way forward.
2014-05-18 07:40:25New strategies for Border Services
This week KGH Border Service Management Team met for a two days strategic work-shop at Bjärsjölagård Castle in the heart of Scania, in the South of Sweden.
2014-04-24 10:03:58A Customs conference not to miss
Don’t miss the conference of the year. On the 21-23 May 2014, the International Network of Customs Universities holds its inaugural conference in Baku.
2014-04-24 09:32:19KGH Border Services in Uruguay
Lars Karlsson, President of KGH Border Services, was in the beginning of April invited by the organizers to do a Key Note Speech about Authorized Economic Operators (AEO) and Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRA) at a Pathway to Prosperity Conference in Montevideo, Uruguay.
2014-04-24 09:10:38KGH Border Services develops WTO TF Package
It has never been easier to estimate a country's own situation and the cost and time for implementation of any gaps, in relation to the new WTO trade facilitation agenda that was included in the Bali December agreement. In cooperation with several key people, KGH Border Services have developed an implementation model for WTO Bali TF package.
2014-04-24 09:05:16An AEO-programme for Receita Federal - Brazil Customs
Receita Federal, Brazil Customs is in the process of developing and implementing a new programme for Authorized Economic Operators. The programme is in a first stage of implementation and has just moved into a pilot phase.
2014-03-25 09:29:58KGH Border Services in Brazil
Together with our Brazilian partner Procomex, KGH Border Services supports Receita Federal (Customs) with the development and implementation of a state-of-the-art Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme in line with international standards for Brazil.
Last week the programme, after an interactive workshop with Receita Federal and Private Sector, moved to the next phase, a pilot of the 1st part of the AEO programme.
2014-01-26 13:15:04International Customs Day 2014
KGH Border Services wants to congratulate all Customs officers, colleagues, friends and partners in the Customs community on the occasion of International Customs Day 2014, 26 January 2014. Every Day, 365 days a year 24/7, Customs officers protects our borders, keeps us safe and supports our economies through revenue collection, facilitated trade and Customs processes. We owe you our gratitude and respect. This is your day and we wish you the best.
2013-12-20 13:17:43WCO Technology and Innovation Forum 2013
WCO is providing a unique platform for Customs people from all over the world to meet and exchange good practice and experiences. The WCO Technology and Innovation Forum is one of the conferences that is an important part of this platform. This article summarizes the key areas that was presented and discussed during this years conference.
2013-12-20 09:29:21KGH Border Services International Advisory Board Meeting
In early December 2013, the International Advisory Board of KGH Border Services met for two days in Stockholm to discuss trends in customs, borders and trade – and to develop strategies for the company making it possible to plan the next strategic steps towards excellence in the following years.
2013-12-17 20:22:50Sweden is setting up a Customs training institute for Africa in Arusha
At the first day of the WTO high-level meeting on Bali recently, Swedish Trade Minister Dr. Ewa Björling, who personally provided great support for the WCO Columbus capacity building programme, announced that Swedish Government will establish a Customs trade facilitation institute in Tanzania.
2013-12-10 16:49:00KGH and Corporate Social Responsibility
At the end of last year KGH Group submitted its’ first Communication on Progress report to the UN Global Compact. Now, a year later we have reaffirmed our commitment to the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the ten principles of the UN.
2013-11-26 14:13:26KGH Border Services signs agreement with Macedonian Customs
At a ceremony and press conference in Skopje, KGH Border Services President Lars Karlsson signed a cooperation agreement with Director Vanco Kargov, Head of Macedonia Customs. The contract is a partnership agreement including services of advice for senior management and capacity building support for reform and modernization in a range of different areas.
2013-11-26 13:38:51KGH signs new contract with Azerbaijan
KGH Border Services signed today, Monday 25th November 2013, a new subcontract with Goverment and the State Customs Committee of the Rebublic of Azerbaijan - under the overall multi-year Risk Management modernization programme.
2013-11-25 15:30:52KGH Border Services in Mongolia
KGH Border Services is partaking in a Border Management Assessment Mission in Mongolia. The objective is to comprehensively look at the most immediate and mid-term capacity-development needs and requirements in the field of border management in Mongolia. Today Mongolia is 181 out of 189 countries on the World Bank Doing Business ranking of “Trading Across Borders” and subsequently has a need for border management modernisation.
2013-10-02 08:25:14KGH Group - The Movie
The KGH Group is a Swedish international Customs and Borders expert company. We facilitate international trade. Our mission is to be the best. What others call difficult - we say it is what we do best. When others say it is impossible, we say – nothing is impossible.
2013-09-26 19:03:04KGH Customs AB to be acquired by Bridgepoint Development Capital
Bridgepoint Development Capital has entered into an agreement with the private equity funds Procuritas Capital Investors and minority shareholders to acquire the KGH Group/KGH Customs AB, the leading independent provider of customs services in Europe.
2013-09-23 09:27:25KGH Border Services goes radio
KGH Border Services is a company using modern technology solutions and social media both in our own work and in the models and services we offer our customers. KGH Border Services is available on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and we use social media actively in our projects as well. Now we taka the next step and expand our information flow to also include podcast radio. You can through our website, click here, download our podcast episodes to your computer, iPad, smartphone or other devices.
2013-09-11 09:20:01KGH Border Services develop Trade Portal and National Single Window for Nepal
A primary expertise and service of KGH Border Services is to develop and deliver state-of-the-art Single Window solutions. Sweden implemented the first ever Single Window, still considered to be one of the most advanced Single Windows in the world, and we were part of that process. Since then we have been involved in numerous other Single Window projects all around the world. The latest project is in Nepal.
2013-05-25 10:56:08Is there a holy grail for Customs ICT?
Every now and then Customs and Border Management administrations come to a point where their IT architecture needs significant changes for different reasons. This introduces a lot of challenges when deciding the direction and investments needed when it comes to ICT. The key question often boils down to: which ICT solution is the best and most cost efficient for our needs and how should the transformation be done?
2013-05-22 23:29:01Freedom of Transit
Generally speaking a coastal country is likely to have a GDP that is significantly higher than the landlocked neighbour. This the reason why transit regimes and access to the sea and trade routes are so important.
2013-05-16 22:12:16New book! When Elephants Fly - Customs Leadership and Management for a Globalized World
Lars Karlsson, President of KGH Border Services and former Director of Capacity Building of the World Customs Organization and Director of Swedish Customs, has previously written the book “The Stairway, Management of an Authorised Secure Supply Chain. Capacity Building for a Customs Environment in a Changing World” about how to successfully develop and implement an AEO concept.