U.S. Should Accelerate North American Single Window Plans, Says Council on Foreign Relations Fellow
The U.S. should move faster on introducing a North American "single window," that would would allow for reduced customs filings, said Shannon O'Neil, senior fellow for Latin America Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. CBP has discussed such plans with Mexican and Canadian officials (see 14061803), though it's not clear when such a system would be in place. O'Neil, who mentioned the idea in Feb. 3 testimony (here) for the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, also said NAFTA rules of origin provisions deserve a review.
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The U.S. government should work with industry to "review and revise NAFTA’s rules of origin provisions to lower the cost for companies operating in the region," she said. "The United States should address divergent regulations, working toward mutual recognition or harmonization through the U.S.-Mexico High-Level Regulatory Council and the U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council," said O'Neil. Such "changes would streamline regional commerce further, benefiting producers and workers in all three nations."