Clearance: Moldova about to join the revised Kyoto Convention

On 12 September, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced the accession of the 139th Contracting Party to the revised Kyoto Convention.

The CKR, which entered into force in 2006 in its revised version, provides an international reference framework for harmonizing, modernising and simplifying customs procedures in order to facilitate trade while ensuring effective control.

The Convention is structured around two blocks:

• a body of fundamental principles binding on all signatories;
  specific annexes, which States can implement according to their priorities.

The CKR directly inspired the design of the Union Customs Code (CDU), incorporating key principles such as risk management, dematerialisation of procedures and the use of reliable operators (approved economic operators).

The concept of customs procedures is further elaborated in specific annexes dealing with topics well known in the EU, such as customs transit. This procedure allows the movement of goods under customs control between several points without immediately paying customs duties.

In the European Union, this procedure takes the form of external transit (T1) for non-Community goods and internal transit (T2) for Union goods transiting through third countries.

The accession of Moldova to CKR could facilitate its integration into harmonised international transit systems, such as the Common Transit System (CTS) used by the EU, EFTA countries, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

The EU also relied on CKR to define the provisions on the customs warehouse regime, which allows third-party goods to be stored under customs control without immediate payment of duties. This regime is particularly important for logistics operators, distributors and manufacturers managing their supply chain internationally.

Moldova's signing of the revised Kyoto Convention is an important step towards modernising its customs procedures and bringing it closer to the European model.

For companies trading with Moldova, this could result in more harmonised formalities with EU standards, enhanced logistical interoperability and, eventually, simplified exchanges with this partner country.