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29 March 2024

SACU Secretariat hosts study visit for Eurasian Economic Commission

24 November 2014

WINDHOEK; Monday 24 November, 2014, the SACU Secretariat played host to a delegation from the Eurasian Economic Commission. The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is the single permanent regulatory body of the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia (CU) and the Single Economic Space (SES) of the Eurasian Economic Commission. The main task of the EEC is to ensure conditions for the CU and SES operations and development as well as to elaborate economic integration initiatives within the framework of the CU and SES. The EEC is on a study visit to SACU intended to learn and share information on international best practice in customs regulation and regional integration in the Eurasian Customs Union. The experts of the Commission are conducting best practice benchmarking and investigating international experiences in other regional integration arrangements including the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

The Southern African Customs Union being the oldest Customs Union in the world, is notable for its functioning, institutional infrastructure and effective instruments for free movement of goods, and sharing of customs revenues.

The specialists of the EEC will visit the SACU Secretariat Headquarters to meet with technical experts and discuss the simplification of cross-border movement of goods between the territories of the participating Member States of the customs union, the creation of conditions for a competitive environment in the Common customs territory; ensuring integration into the world economy by means of strengthening trade and investments; harmonization of customs policies and procedures of the ;and improvement of customs regulation, engagement with third parties in trade relations and the collection and sharing of customs revenues.

The programme for the day will commence with welcoming remarks from the Executive Secretary of SACU followed by remarks by the leader of the Eurasian delegation and overviews of both SACU and EEC. These will be followed by technical presentations on;

  1. SACU Institutional Structure
  2. Trade Facilitation
  3. Revenue Sharing
  4. Regional Tariff Setting
  5. Trade Negotiations; and
  6. Regional Policy Development

The team will then proceed to South Africa where they will visit an airport and the Durban seaport in to see how these function in SACU.