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THE TIR CONVENTION THE ONLY GLOBAL CUSTOMS TRANSIT SYSTEM United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport Division Border Crossing Facilitation Section. General principles of transit. Movement of goods under Customs control - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Tunis3-4 June 2009
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THE TIR CONVENTIONTHE ONLY GLOBAL CUSTOMS TRANSIT SYSTEM
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
Transport DivisionBorder Crossing Facilitation Section
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General principles of transit
• Movement of goods under Customs control
• Without payment of duties and taxes in exchange for the deposit of a guarantee
• Additional requirements such as use of Customs seals, time limits and security measures, based on risk assessment
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• National transit
• Bilateral or multilateral transit– Closed system between two or more
countries– Usually based on Customs union– Recognition of freedom of transit,
Article V GATT
• Global transit
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• History: – First Convention 1959, revision 1975– From 6 countries to 68 countries (Operational: 56)– During the last 15 years: 24 new Contracting Parties
• Objective: – Facilitation– revenue protection + Customs checks
• Only global transit procedure• Intermodal (trucks and containers)• Public/Private Partnership
TIR ConventionBackground & characteristics
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Geographical scope
Contracting Party where Convention is applied (2008)Contracting Party where Convention is not applied (2008)Potential Contracting Party
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YEAR TIR CARNETS ISSUED
1959 67,000
1969 790,035
1980 718,612
1990 748,600
2000 2,782,600
2008 3,253,800
THE TIR CUSTOMS TRANSIT PROCEDURE Number of TIR Carnets issued
01,000,0002,000,0003,000,0004,000,000
1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
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ADVANTAGES
Customs Authorities
• No physical inspection of goods in transit (in principle)
• No national guarantee system
• No national Customs documentation and control system
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ADVANTAGES
Transport/Trade Industry
• Minimum of procedures at border crossings
• No restriction in the modes of transport used
• Significant reduction of transport costs (reduced export and import costs)
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TIR Convention, 1975
5 pillars of the TIR system
Secure vehiclesor containers
Internationalguarantee
Document(TIR Carnet)
Mutual recognitionof Customs
control
Controlledaccess
THE TIR CUSTOMS TRANSIT PROCEDURE The five pillars of the TIR System
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ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE
National association
Government
UNECE Working Party
WP.30
TIR Administrative Committee
TIR Executive Board
National association
Government Government
National association
TIR SecretaryTIR secretariat
International organization
IRU
Private Sector TIR Convention United Nations
Country A Country B Country C
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TIR Administrative Committee Mandate
• Highest organ of the TIR Convention• All Contracting States are represented and have one vote
each• Only Contracting States are allowed to decide and vote• Meets (at present) twice a year in Geneva (Switzerland)• English, French and Russian are working languages (at
present)• Composition, functions and rules of Administrative
Committee are provided in Annex 8 of TIR Convention
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TIR Administrative Committee
• Considers and adopts amendments to the Convention (legal provisions and Explanatory Notes thereto)
• Decides on comments (interpretation) of the Convention
• Monitors the application of the Convention in Contracting States
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TIR Administrative Committee (cont’d)
• Supervises the activities of the TIR Executive Board
(TIRExB)
• Elects members of the TIRExB and decides on its annual
budget
• Authorizes an international organization to take on the
responsibility for the organization and functioning of an
international guarantee system and to print and distribute
TIR Carnets (Article 6.2bis)
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TIR Executive Board
Mandate• Subsidiary body of TIR Administrative Committee• Fulfils the tasks entrusted to it by the Convention (Annex
8) and by the Administrative Committee based on its Terms of Reference
• Composed of 9 members (experts) elected by Administrative Committee
• Members have 2 years terms of office• Meets as often as required (also by correspondence)• Decides on and regularly reviews its priorities of work
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TIR Executive Board (TIRExB)
• Supervises the application of the Convention world-wide
• Supervises the operation of the international TIR
guarantee system
• Supervises the printing and distribution of TIR Carnets
• Coordinates exchange of intelligence among
Contracting States
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TIR Executive Board (TIRExB) (cont’d)
• Fosters exchange of information between Governments
and IRU
• Facilitates settlement of disputes
• Supports training of Customs personnel
• Maintains central information/data records (on guarantee
and national contracts, authorized operators, etc.)
• Monitors the price of TIR Carnets
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TIR Executive Board (TIRExB)
Secretariat
• TIR Secretary (executes decisions of TIRExB)
• Assisted by a TIR secretariat
Financing
• Work of TIRExB members is financed by their respective
governments
• Most operational costs are financed by an amount per TIR
Carnet (2009: US$ 0,50 per TIR Carnet)
• Other costs are financed by UN Regular Budget
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UNECE WP. 30
(Working Party on Customs Questions affecting Transport)
Mandate
• Governmental organ of UNECE and other interested United Nations Member States and interested international organizations
• Consultative body for large number of multilateral treaties of the United Nations
• Decisions are usually taken by consensus
• Meets usually three times a year in Geneva
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UNECE Working Party (WP.30)
(Working Party on Customs Questions affecting Transport)
Activities
• Prepares amendments, interpretations, best
practices for UN treaties relating to border
crossing facilitation, particularly Customs issues
• Prepares the decisions of the TIR Administrative
Committee
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UNECE TIR SECRETARIAT
Transport Division
8-14, Avenue de PaixCH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 917 15 31
Fax: +41 22 917 06 14
Email address: tirexb@unece.org http://tir.unece.org
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