U.S. and EU Adopt "Roadmap" for Achieving C-TPAT/AEO Mutual Recognition in 2009

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a press release announcing that CBP and the European Commission's Taxation and Customs Union Directorate have adopted the U.S.-EU Joint Customs Cooperation Committee Roadmap towards Mutual Recognition of Trade Partnership Programs (Roadmap).

U.S. and EU Began C-TPAT/AEO Mutual Recognition Process in 2007

In 2007, the U.S. and the EU initiated efforts to implement Mutual Recognition of CBP's Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and the EU's Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) supply chain security programs.

(Mutual recognition arrangements allow the companies of one supply chain security program to receive benefits similar to those conferred to companies participating in another country's program.)

CBP has not made the Roadmap available, but states it outlines six areas that the U.S. and the EU will address to achieve the goal of implementing Mutual Recognition: political, administrative, legal, policy, technical/operational, and evaluation. The Roadmap also sets forth key benchmarks for measuring progress in each area.

U.S. & EU Actions to Date

To date, the U.S. and EU have achieved successes, including:

• completion of the initial Trade Partnership Pilot project in which the U.S. and EU Customs-Trade programs were compared both on paper and in practice¹;
• an exchange of best practices and training programs; and
• the implementation of the EU's AEO program on January 1, 2008 in which the EU was able to benefit from U.S. experience with C-TPAT.

U.S. & EU to Sign Mutual Recognition Arrangement During Upcoming Year, Etc.

The U.S. and EU will continue the effort to achieve Mutual Recognition of their respective C-TPAT and AEO programs. Throughout the upcoming year, the U.S. and EU will:

• establish guidelines regarding information exchanges, including the exchange of validation/audit results and legalities associated with the disclosure of membership details²;
• perform joint verifications to determine remaining gaps between AEO/C-TPAT and resolve any discrepancies;
• explore and test an export component for C-TPAT;
• exchange best practices through joint visits and conferences;
• continue dialogue on legal and policy developments under the respective administrations;
• endorse and sign a Mutual Recognition Arrangement³; and
• evaluate Mutual Recognition benefits for AEO/C-TPAT members.

U.S. and EU are Optimistic About Implementing Mutual Recognition in 2009

According to the press release, although a number of tasks remain, both the U.S. and EU are optimistic about eventual implementation of Mutual Recognition in 2009⁴.

¹CBP officials referred to this as "Stage 1" of the mutual recognition process at the February 13, 2008 COAC meeting. At the meeting, CBP officials stated that the U.S. and EU had completed Stage 1. (See ITT's Online Archives or 02/27/08 news, 08022705, for BP summary of the mutual recognition issues discussed at the meeting.)

²CBP officials referred to this as "Stage 2" of the mutual recognition process at the February 13, 2008 COAC meeting.

³CBP officials referred to this as "Stage 3" of the mutual recognition process at the February 13, 2008 COAC meeting.

⁴CBP officials referred to this as "Stage 4" of the mutual recognition process at the February 13, 2008 COAC meeting.

(See ITT's Online Archives or 01/11/08 news, 08011115, for BP summary of the EU's January 1, 2008 implementation of its AEO program.)

CBP press release, dated 03/27/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/03272008_2.xml.