Exco Meeting
The St Kitts and Nevis Customs and Excise Division hosted the EXCO meeting from November 8-9, 2016. Customs Comptrollers and representatives from fourteen nations were present at the meeting including Canada and the USA.
The meeting considered a number of initiatives including:
- The draft treaty
- Organizational change
- Implementation of RCS2016 and SailClear
- Implementation of a customs valuation risk database
- Development and accreditation of CCLEC’s training modules
- MOUs with strategic partners
The CCLEC which was established in the 1970s has been operating as an informal organisation however it is actively pursuing the formalization of the organisation through a treaty. This is an issue of monumental significance for the organization as it seeks to increase support for its programmes through donor funding and enhance information sharing.
In May 2016, Council established four working groups to regularize policies and procedures to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation. These working groups are as follows:
- Governance
- Finance
- Intelligence
- IT
These working groups are working with EXCO in developing the plans for the structure of the new treaty organisation.
The meeting underscored the importance of Information Technology (IT) in the new enforcement paradigm. Updates were received to do with the advances made in the development of the Regional Clearing System (RCS). Discussions are now underway with other member states to look at ways to expand the system and deliver additional benefit, particularly in the area of immigration services.
The meeting also discussed and agreed to sign an MOU between the Caribbean Postal Union (CPU) and CCLEC to foster closer cooperation with the post.
The next EXCO meeting will be held in early March 2017 in Bonaire.
