The automation of procedures will help scale up the competitiveness of importing/exporting companies by reducing the trade-related costs. It enables the stakeholders concerned to reduce the acquisition costs, import/export process costs, the stocks, and the time spent on operations, but also to step up the productivity of the import/export sector.

The creation of a paperless environment for customs and trade requires a greater effectiveness of customs procedures and controls, through simplified customs legislation, trade facilitation and a better use of technological means for these procedures.

Trade facilitation seeks to step up the effectiveness of procedures, formalities, and operations relative to the cross-border trade of goods, simplify international commercial transactions and reduce the cost, based on international standards and best practices. To attain these objectives, the entire commercial chain must be covered.

Simplification: consists in the elimination of all the useless elements and the duplication of tasks in formalities, operations and procedures.

Harmonization: it’s about aligning the national formalities, procedures, operations and documents with international conventions, standards and practices.

Standardization: consists in the definition of models adopted worldwide for practices and procedures, documents and information.