HCM City Customs Department: provides solutions to accompany businesses to effectively implement the EVFTA

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HCM City Customs Department held online customs training sessions for European businesses after the EVFTA took effect. Photo: T.H

Actively instructs businesses

Determining the EVFTA as a comprehensive trade agreement opening a new era for cooperation, development, and creating great breakthroughs, export opportunities and expanding the supply chain of Vietnam and the EU, HCM City Customs Department has built and developed many practical support measures to accompany businesses to effectively implement this agreement.

Mr. Dinh Ngoc Thang, Director of HCM City Customs Department, said that before the implementation of the agreement, department held training sessions and noted changes when the EVFTA took effect for business.

At the two dialogue conferences with British businesses and EuroCham, HCM City Customs Department has removed difficulties and problems for businesses. The department has focused on improving capacity of customs officers toward modernization, strongly applying information technology inoperational activities, and meeting conditions and standards of the agreement.

Especially, after the agreement took effect on August 1, 2020, to assist businesses in accessing incentives from the agreement, the department has immediately deployed action plans to implement the agreement of the Government, the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In addition, the department has actively coordinated with EuroCham to hold online training sessions for hundreds of businesses. At the same time, gathering difficulties and problems arising during the implementation of businesses to propose competent authorities to quickly remove them for businesses.

Appreciating the support of customs, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic, EuroCham Vice Chairman Nguyen Hai Minh said that HCM City Customs Department has actively worked with Eurocham to organize training courses and dialogue conferences to support the European business community in Vietnam.

Particularly, during the second waveof the Covid-19 pandemic, HCM City Customs Department has actively trained and provided online guidance on rules of origin in the EVFTA for more than 200 businesses, and promptly helped businesses understand regulations and implement them effectively, when the agreement officially comes into effect.

Instructs and answers key contents

The effective date of the EVFTA fell amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the global economy sharply declined; Europe and Vietnam were not out of this trend. To help businesses effectively implement the agreement after it took effect, the department has actively worked with Eurocham to provide online training and guidance for businesses.

Through these online training courses, experienced experts from HCM City Customs Department have introduced to businesses key contents related to rules of origin in the EVFTA, the benefits brought by the EVFTA, as well as tariff incentives for each commodity. At the same time, after the training courses, the HCM City Customs Department answered nearly 50 questions frombusinesses about the implementation of the EVFTA, helping Vietnamese and EU businesses understand and maximizebenefits brought by the EVFTA, as well as their obligation.

Through online training courses, HCM City Customs Department has also recorded a number of problems related to rules of origin, tariff incentives and reported to the General Department of Vietnam Customs for specific guidance for businesses.

According to the HCM City Customs Department, to facilitate the business community, including European businesses to enjoy benefits from the EVFTA, in addition to training and guidance on specific contents for businesses, HCM City Customs Department is also continuing to implement many projects to facilitate trade, towards electronic transactions, digital customs and smart customs to shorten the goods clearance time and reduce costs for businesses.