New edition of the AEO Compendium available

The WCO has published the 2019 edition of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Compendium, an annually updated study which gives an overview of existing AEO programmes (already implemented or under development or implementation) around the world, comprising information on accreditation criteria, procedures and benefits, and with a list of Mutual Recognition Arrangements/Agreements (MRAs) signed so far between countries to mutually recognize AEO authorizations granted by their respective Customs administrations.

The Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) is a public-private partnership programme recommended by the WCO (in particular, by the WCO SAFE Framework), which is also one of the commitments under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (Article 7.7). The AEO programme is aimed to both secure and facilitate global trade, while at the same time providing incentives that benefit both Customs and traders that decide to work in partnership.

The AEO is a voluntary scheme based on a cooperative approach between economic operators and Customs where those requesting such administration to be audited with regard to their customs-related processes are recognised with a status of "customs trustworthiness" that makes them eligible for an easier access to customs simplifications and/or for a reduction of security controls. The WCO developed an AEO Implementation Guidance to assist its members in the development and implementation of such programme.

The AEO Compendium analyses in total 83 AEO programmes and 78 (both bilateral and plurilateral or regional) MRAs (with regard to MRAs, the WCO also published a Mutual Recognition Arrangement/ Agreement Strategy Guide to provide guidance to its members in the adoption of these kind of agreements).

For the first time, the AEO Compendium also provides information on existing Customs Mutual Assistance Agreements (CMAAs) and on methodologies used to compare AEO programmes that would be useful for mutual recognition processes.