New WCO Project to Help African Countries With 2022 Harmonized Schedule
The World Customs Organization will be launching a new project to harmonize "the classification of goods based on WCO standards to enhance African trade," WCO said in a news release. The announcement came during a Sept. 17- 28 Harmonized System Committee meeting in Brussels. The project will help in establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area "and assist beneficiary African countries to not only implement and apply the HS 2022 edition, but build the capacity to successfully apply future editions, autonomously and on time, in line with the requirements of HS Convention and the needs of international and regional agreements," WCO said.
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The HSC also "took 43 classification decisions related to products covered by the HS Nomenclature, including a novel tobacco product, several petroleum products and a quadrocopter [drone], adopted three sets of amendments to the current Explanatory Notes and approved 21 new Classification Opinions," WCO said. Sixteen sets of amendments to the Nomenclature and two sets of amendments to the future explanatory notes were also provisionally adopted, it said. "Products of importance to trade such as light-emitting diode (LED) products and solar energy products, as well as those important for regulation such as Montreal Protocol gasses, will benefit from improved representation in the HS," WCO said.