The Joint ATA/Istanbul Convention Administrative Committee prepares for the transition from a paper to a digital Carnet System

The 21^st Meeting of the Administrative Committee for the Convention on Temporary Admission (Istanbul Convention) and the 18^th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the Customs Convention on the ATA Carnet for the Temporary Admission of Goods (ATA Convention) were held jointly on 14 November 2022 in a hybrid mode, attended by approximately 140 delegates from 33 Contracting Parties to the Istanbul Convention and 31 Contracting Parties to the ATA Convention, as well as by 14 observer WCO Members and 5 International Organizations.

In his opening remarks, Pranab Kumar Das, the WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, welcomed Contracting Parties and observers and thanked the International Chamber of Commerce World Chambers Federation (ICC WCF) for playing a leading role in the preparation of the electronic ATA carnet system. The Director stressed the importance of digitalization of the Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnet for simpler, safer, cheaper, and more efficient ATA Carnet procedures both for Customs and private sector stakeholders and welcomed the electronic Carnet de Passages en Douane (CPD), developed by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for greater facilitation of the temporary management of vehicles. He also informed the Meeting that the Philippines acceded to the Istanbul convention with acceptance of 9 Annexes, becoming the 74^th Contracting Party in January 2022, and that the Republic of Belarus accepted additional 3 Annexes of the Istanbul Convention in November 2022.

The Committee elected Chen Jianping (China) as Chairperson of the Meeting, and Ofri Orenstein (Israel) as Vice-Chairperson.

Based on the result of the electronic ATA Pilot Project and collaboration with the ICC, the Committee endorsed the Global Transition Plan as a living document to be updated in a timely manner for moving from a paper to a digital Carnet system, including the transition road map and consideration for six cases of paper and digital carnet usage during the transition period. Further development will go on through the eATA Working Group meeting and Capacity Building activities, aiming to start use of electronic Carnets in 2024. The Committee was also updated on the progression of the eCPD distribution system, managed by FIA. With the issuance of the first eCPD in May 2021, the eCPD distribution system will move to fully digital in the near future.

The Committee received a presentation from Norway on their recent experience piloting the eATA and also discussed issues brought by three Contracting Parties regarding the interpretation of the Convention. Finally, the Committee examined the draft update of the Istanbul Convention Handbook and E-learning course on the CLiKC! platform, which will help to facilitate the application and implementation of the Convention on temporary importation.

The next Joint ATA/Istanbul Administrative Committee meeting will take place in the Fall of 2023.