Customs, a key element in facilitating international trade - International customs instruments

Administrative formalities are often the sticking point in the mechanics of international trade. The desire to import or export exists within companies, particularly SMEs. This desire comes up against the complexity of administrative formalities. These seem insurmountable, hindering the circulation of products and increasing the cost of operations. Recent studies by the OECD and various international organizations estimate the cost of these formalities at an average of 7% of the price of traded products. Countries have made considerable efforts to reduce the number of formalities, but they continue to weigh on world trade. For their part, the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization have drawn up conventions that encourage and even oblige signatory countries to reform their administrative practices.

Aimed at non-specialists in the customs field, this article can be seen as a key to entering a complex field which is, however, essential to master in order to ensure the legal security of international operations. In a second article, to be published shortly, the practicalities of customs clearance in the European Union will be addressed, with a few considerations on customs clearance in other parts of the world.