On 9 February 2022, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and the EU-WCO Programme for Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme) held a virtual meeting to review the joint work plan regarding the implementation of the 2022 version of the Harmonized System in the Community and its Partner States. Another topic discussed during the meeting was the action of putting in place regional and national arrangements to establish and modernize advance ruling systems in the EAC.

In her introductory remarks, Mrs. Flavia Busingye, Acting Director Customs of the EAC, stressed that the coordinated efforts of the EAC Secretariat and the WCO, in the context of the HS-Africa Programme, were bringing tangible results in a number of areas of Customs work. She expressed her appreciation for the support provided by the WCO, which had allowed to conduct an impressive number of activities in 2019 - 2021. On behalf of the EAC, she thanked the European Union for the funding offered under the HS-Africa Programme to enable this important work.

During the meeting, it was agreed to continue and further enhance the work to support EAC Partner States in the implementation of the HS 2022 amendments, advance ruling programmes, digitalization initiatives, targeted capacity building action and train-the-trainer activities. Particular attention will be paid to the dissemination of the 2022 version of the EAC Common External Tariff and tariff-related publications, awareness-raising activities to promote the HS 2022 and implementation of Article 3 TFA WTO. The HS-Africa Programme reiterated that it would provide continued support to the EAC in that regard.

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