On 21 June 2017, the Federal Council opened the consultation procedure on a draft administrative assistance agreement in the customs field with the USA. The agreement is a prerequisite for the conclusion of any agreement on the mutual recognition of customs security measures.
In accordance with the Federal Council's media release of 21 June 2017, the administrative assistance agreement in customs matters with the USA provides for bilateral cooperation and an exchange of information for the prevention, investigation and detection of customs offences. The draft agreement regulates the procedure for submitting and executing requests for administrative assistance and contains provisions on the confidentiality and use of information.
The agreement is also intended to create the conditions for mutual recognition of customs security measures ("C-TPAT" = Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and "AEO" = Authorised Economic Operator) and thus for simplified customs treatment.
The Federal Council has published the following consultation documents, among others:
The press release of the Federal Council with further information and documents is available here.
