1. The TIR Convention and transit issues
2nd OPERATIONAL MEETING OF THE PAM PANEL ON EXTERNAL TRADE AND INVESTMENTS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
Geneva, 4 and 5 May 2011
The TIR Convention and transit issues

2. Customs transit: principles
Goods are transported under Customs control from one Customs office to another in the same Customs territory or another Customs territory
Without collecting the duties and taxes and without applying economic or commercial prohibitions or restrictions
National or international
Freedom of transit: Article V GATT

3. Importance of Customs transit
A reliable and affordable Customs transit regime is a sine qua non for the competitiveness of national economy and economic growth.
An effective transit system can bring benefits:
Reduced waiting times and queues at borders and lower transport and trade transaction costs
Transparent, predictable and non-discriminatory rules for all transport operators
Increased efficiency of Customs authorities
Better protection of Customs revenues

4. National transit Incoming, outgoing and through transit
National guarantee system
National specific transit declaration (or electronic messages)
Many examples

5. Bilateral or regional transit
Closed system between two or more countries
Sometimes based on Customs union
Avoid use of multiple national transit systems
Common or mutually recognized guarantee systems
Common Customs document (or electronic messages)
Examples: Community and Common transit, NAFTA, Arab manifest, …

6. International or global transit
Open to all interested countries
Close collaboration between neighboring countries not required
Internationally recognized guarantees
Standards documents (or electronic messages)
Examples: ATA and TIR

7. TIR Convention History: First Convention 1959, revision 1975
From 6 countries to 68 countries
(operational: 57)
Characteristics:
Only operational global Customs transit procedure
Also applicable in bilateral transit traffic
Intermodal (trucks and containers)
Based on public-private partnership (PPP)

8. Advantages Customs Authorities
No physical inspection of goods in transit
No national guarantee system
No national Customs document
Transport/Trade Industry
Minimum of procedures at borders
Reduced delays at borders
No restriction in the modes of transport
Lower transport and import/export costs

9. Number of TIR Carnets
3,253,800
2008
2,782,600
2000
748,600
1990
718,612
1980
790,035
1969
67,000
1959
TIR CARNETS ISSUED
YEAR

10. Geographical scope Contracting Party where Convention is applied
Contracting Party where Convention is not applied
Potential Contracting Party

11. The TIR Customs transit procedure
TIR Convention, 1975
5 pillars of the TIR system

12. eTIR: Current environment
SafeTIR
TIR-EPD
National TIR Operation
Transport sector
Other Customs administrations
Guarantee chain
National Declaration Mechanism (Single Windows)
ITDBonline
Register of stamps and seals
TIRExB
(UNECE)
To date, as a consequence of new requirements, various IT elements have already been introduced in the TIR system, such as the transmission of termination data from Customs offices of destination to the IRU SafeTIR system and the electronic submission of pre-departure or pre-arrival data in the EU and other countries.
However, by and large, Customs continue to depend on the paper TIR Carnet for the management of TIR operations. 12

13. Fully computerized eTIR system
TIR-EPD
Transport sector
Guarantee chain
Other Customs administrations
SafeTIR ?
National TIR Operation e
National Declaration Mechanism (Single Windows)
The establishment of the eTIR international system remains crucial to the complete computerization of the TIR procedure as it allows Customs to exchange securely C2C information with each other and to manage the data on guarantees. It will offer the transport sector improved facilitation and will provide the guarantee chain the opportunity to supervise guarantees at all stages of the TIR transport. eTIR maximizes the benefits of the existing TIR tools, while providing electronic solutions for those aspects of the TIR procedure which still are paper based today. 13

14. Summary
International intermodal Customs transit system (bilateral, inter-regional, intercontinental)
Provides cost efficient Customs transit procedure and facilitation
Ensures revenue protection through guarantee
Boosts competitiveness & global integration
Builds on Public/Private partnership model
Enhances transit and supply chain security

15. Recommendations
Accede to the TIR Convention and start its practical application, if not done yet
Ensure its proper implementation
Support and contribute to the computerization of the TIR procedure (eTIR project)