1. UNECE – UNESCAP 4 th Expert Group Meeting on Developing Euro-Asian Transport Linkages Thessaloniki, Greece 21-24 November 2006 Robert Nowak Transport Division UN Economic Commission for Europe

2. Legal arrangements for the smooth movement of goods internationally Agenda Item 8

3. TRADING ACROSS BORDERS World Bank’s “Doing Business” www.doingbusiness.org

5. WB – Doing Business: “Trading Across Borders” The procedural requirements for exporting and importing a standardized cargo of goods Every official procedure is counted -- from the contractual agreement between the two parties to the delivery of goods -- along with the time and cost necessary for completion

6. WB – Doing Business Number of all documents required to export/import goods Time necessary to comply with all procedures required to export/import goods Cost associated with all the procedures required to export/import goods

8. Region or Econo my Documents for export (number) Time for export (days) Cost to export (US$ per container) Documents for import (number) Time for import (days) Cost to import (US$ per container) OECD 4.810.5811.05.912.2882.6 East Asia & Pacific 6.923.9884.89.325.91,037.1 Middle East & North Africa 7.127.1923.910.335.41,182.8 Latin America & Caribbean 7.322.21,067.59.527.91,225.5 South Asia 8.134.41,236.012.541.51,494.9 Europe & Central Asia 7.429.21,450.210.037.11,589.3 Sub-Saharan Africa 8.240.01,561.112.251.51,946.9

9. Number of documents required to export (Top 10 – bottom 10 UNECE members)

10. Canada

11. Tajikistan

12. Number of documents required to import (Top 10 – bottom 10 UNECE members)

13. Sweden

14. Azerbaijan

15. Number of days required to export (Top 10 – bottom 10 UNECE members)

16. Estonia

17. Kazakhstan

18. Number of days required to import (Top 10 – bottom 10 UNECE members

19. Denmark

20. Uzbekistan

22. Exports: Inland transportation (in days)

23. Exports: Customs Clearance and Technical Control (in days)

24. Exports: Number of documents required

25. Exports: Documents Preparation (in days)

26. Imports: Inland Transportation (in days)

27. Imports: Customs Clearance and Technical Control (in days)

28. Imports: Number of documents required

29. Imports: Documents Preparation (in days)

30. Developing transport infrastructure and facilitating international transport in Europe and Asia Best practices: some European examples Agenda Item 10

31. Transport facilitation: what is it? Removal of unnecessary barriers to international transport

32. Transport facilitation: what for? To reduce transportation time and costs

33. Transport facilitation: how? Reduce the physical costs of transport Improve the efficiency of border crossing operations How? Reform customs and other border agencies through modernization, improved staff training, better inter-agency and cross-border cooperation Provide high quality infrastructure and services for transport, logistics, customs and information technology

34. The International Convention on the Harmonization of Frontier Controls of Goods, 21 October 1982

35. Objectives of the Convention: The “Harmonization Convention” aims at facilitating border crossing of goods by harmonizing and reducing: · formalities · number and duration of border controls

36. The “Harmonization Convention” establishes procedures for:  customs controls, medico-sanitary, inspections, veterinary inspections, phyto- sanitary inspections, quality controls and controls of compliance with technical standards

37. These procedures call for:  national cooperation and coordination of various services  international cooperation between the respective border services

38. The “Harmonization Convention” foresees:  joint controls of goods and documents through the provision of shared facilities  same opening hours and same types of services at the same border  promotion of the one-stop-shop principle for border controls

45. Best practices Border crossing information: national governments

46. Customs: the government of Poland

52. Best practices Industry associations: International Road Transport Union