October 15: Webinar ononline Customs news themed "Customs as head agency for specialised inspection”

	Introduce new model on quality and food safety inspection
	New model is a lever for fundamental and comprehensive reform of specialised inspection
	Nearly 270 enterprises violate policies of specialised inspection

Customs officers of Customs Branch at Da Nang seaport border gate inspect imported and exported goods. Photo: N. Linh

The guests who will respond to readers are Au Anh Tuan, Director of Customs Control and Supervision Department (General Department of Customs) and Pham Thi Ngoc Thuy, Standing Deputy Director of the Office of the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV under the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council for Administrative Procedure Reform)

Currently, the specialised inspection for imported and exported goods is a tool to control the quality of goods andensure security and safety. Inadequacies and overlaps in specialised inspection activities have put burdens on businesses and accounted for a significant rate of clearance time but have not improved according to the World Bank, reducing the competitiveness of Vietnam in cross-border trade.

Facing this situation, under drastic directions from the Government, the efforts of the ministries and sectors, the specialised inspection for imported goods has been gradually improved and achieved results, but has yet to create breakthrough steps as well as met the expectations of the business community.

Therefore, Government Resolution 99 / NQ-CP dated November 13, 2019 and Resolution 02 / NQ-CP dated January 1, 2020 directed the Ministry of Finance to preside over the development of the project for specialised inspection with the customs agency as a head agency for specialised inspection at the border gates and the ministries in charge of post-clearance inspection". This is considered a breakthrough for far-reaching reforms of inspection of quality and food safety and the enhancement of national competitiveness.

Following Government Resolution 99 / NQ-CP, Resolution 02 / NQ-CP, the Ministry of Finance assigned the General Department of Customs to research and develop a scheme on reforming the quality and food safety inspection model for import goods. The draft scheme has recently been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for adoption.

According to the scheme, many inspection procedures under the new model will be simplified as the information and database of the importer are concentrated on one point as the Customs agency. If goods are eligible for exemption from quality inspection or reduced inspection, the electronic customs system will automatically update and the importer shall not have to apply for an exemption or reduced inspection as current, reducing duplicates between customs records and quality inspection records.

The project introduces seven major reforms:

Firstly, to assign the customs agency to act as the head agency for quality and food safety inspection for imported goods at border gates.

Secondly, to apply three inspection methods synchronously to cut subjects of inspection based on IT application.

Thirdly, to simplify inspection procedures in each inspection method according to the inspection procedures described in the Law on Product Quality.

Fourthly, to carry out inspection by items to minimise shipments subject to inspection while ensure efficiency of state management.

Fifth to apply risk management to improve compliance and reduce social costs.

Sixth, to add cases of exemption from inspection.

Seventh, to apply the information technology system to deploy the new model.

How will the new model work? What benefits will enterprises enjoy? How will time, costs and procedures be reduced compared to the current process? How will the coordination mechanism between the Customs agency and the specialised management agency work to simplify procedures for enterprises and ensure the quality of goods to consumers? Or how is the Ministry of Finance’s proposal on roadmap for implementation?

Issues readers are interested in related to the scheme on reforming the quality and food safety inspection model for imported goods being submitted to the Government by the Ministry of Finance will be answered by guests at the webinar. The webinar with the theme: "Customs as the head agency for specialised inspection" on the online Customs News (at the websitewww.haiquanonline.com.vn).

Customs: Efforts for connection and reform of specialised inspection VCN - In cross-border flow of import- export goods, specialised inspection is a tool to control goods ...

Those interested in this webinar, please send questions in advance to the Customs Newspaper at the address: haiquanonline@gmail.com or follow up on the webinar at 9 a.m on October 15 and ask questions to the two guests.