WCO participates in the Barcelona New Economy Week 2022

On 4 October 2022, the WCO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Ricardo Treviño Chapa, spoke at the third edition of the Barcelona New Economy Week (BNEW) 2022. The BNEW is a unique physical and digital business to business (B2B) event that brings together actors from the real estate, digital industry, mobility, sustainability, talent, investment and experience sectors which all share a common denominator, namely the “New Economy”.

During the BNEW, Mr. Treviño Chapa took part in an international panel discussion on “Safety and Compliance in the International e-Trade” together with Mr. Marcelo Martínez, Project Manager, Organization of American States. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Lisandro Ganuza, Director of the Board of the World Free Zones Organization. Mr. Treviño Chapa began by introducing relevant WCO tools of relevance to business such as the E-Commerce Package comprising the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border E-Commerce as well as the SAFE Framework of Standards and the WCO Practical Guidance on Free Zones. He explained that these tools had been developed to raise awareness and assist Customs administrations in the implementation of solutions and best practices to ensure the security of supply chains, cross border e-commerce and free zones.

He then turned to the need to work closely with external stakeholders, particularly the private sector, highlighting the importance of the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group and its significant contributions to past and ongoing discussions within different WCO working bodies. He concluded by underscoring the need to foster and increase collaboration and trust between Customs administrations and private sector, free zone and e-commerce actors.