New ATF-JCC meeting to be held in Bangkok July 10-11

BANGKOK, July 8 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Commerce, will host the new ASEAN Trade Facilitation Joint Consultative Committee (ATF-JCC) Meeting, the 15th of its kind, in Bangkok later this week. Auramon Supthaweethum, Director General of the ministry's Department of Trade Negotiations, told journalists on Monday that she will chair the 15th ATF-JCC Meeting at the Central World shopping complex in the heart of the capital during July 10-11, aimed to discuss and review trade facilitation moves in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Auramon stated that issues included in the agenda of the upcoming regional gathering cover a review on the targeted transparency in the implementation of non-trade measures (NTMs) among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), an evaluation whether the implementation of trade facilitations in the AEC has complied with the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO-TFA) and a following up of the Time Released Study on goods conducted by each ASEAN member country to see the individual country's progress and efficiency in its implementation of trade facilitations. Besides, the participants in the upcoming regional gathering will review progress in the operations by each member country of the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) and the e-Form D to certify the country of origin of goods, as well as the development of the ASEAN National Trade Repository and the ASEAN-Wide Self-Certification. The senior official said, meanwhile, that the participants of the 15th ATF-JCC Meeting will also meet with representatives of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN–BAC), the United States-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) and the European Union-ASEAN Business Council (EU-ABC) to exchange their views on trade facilitations and ways to reduce costs of business operators to support expanding trade in the region. (TNA)