National Single Window mechanism – a big goal in short term

This goal is set by the National Steering Committee for the ASEAN Single Window (ASW), National Single Window and trade facilitation in the overall plan of the NSW and ASW deployment in the 2016-2020 period.

With the determination to reform and simplify to facilitate trade activities, contributing to the policy of building government of creating and serving, the Steering Committee has set targets: by 2018, completing the NSW nationwide expansion of procedures for ports, inland ports, offshore old ports; procedures for airports through the NSW. Striving to implement 80% of administrative procedures with a large number of transaction and having big impacts on activities of enterprises, organizations, and people. By 2020, completing the deployment of all administrative procedures of the ministries, branches taking part in the management of goods exports, imports and transits; people and vehicles exit, entry and transit through the NSW.

These targets are considered very ambitious, because the NSW was launched on November 11, 2014 at Hai Phong port, after over 2 years operating, there have been 36 administrative procedures implemented through the NSW of 10 ministries and branches. Thus, in the next 4 years, the number of procedures must implement is 7 times more than the current results. Notably, there were only 6 administrative procedures added in 2016.

In the first meeting of the Steering Committee (December 2016), Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue – Head of the National Steering Committee for the ASW, NSW and trade facitilitation has required ministries, branches to focus on the implemention quality after deploying the NSW connection on the schedule. These procedures in the NSW must be a breakthrough in facilitating as implementing administrative procedures for the business community.

Speaking about the aims of the NSW in the coming time, a leader of the Department of NSW and ASW management and operation, the IT and Statistics Department of Customs (under the General Department of Customs) said, if we just only look at the data of the results over 2 years and the next targets, it could not be assessed accurately. Because, before 2016, the ministries, branches had focused on implementing some procedures having many enterprises, records related to exported and imported goods such as ministries of Transport, Agriculture and Rural Developmenet, Industry and Trade. On the other hand, Vietnam has focused on the legal completion, especially the signing of the Protocol on the implemention of the legal framework for the ASW. At the same time, concentrating on exchange information of Form D ATIGA C/O with other members to ensure the approvals of 10 country members as implementing officially the Protocol related to the legal framework.

“Thus, recently, despite the small number of procedures implemented through the NSW, the ministries, branches have established a solid foundation both in legislation and practice in order to complete goals in the schedule of implementing the NSW in the next period. However, another important factor may decide the progress of implementing the NSW is the political determination of the ministries, and branches”- the Head of the Department of the NSW and ASEAN management and operation added.