COAC Urges Harmonization, Standardization of Data Elements in North American Single Window
The North American Single Window should rely on common, standardized data elements -- and as few of them as possible -- to achieve “effective risk management,” said the Customs Commercial Operations Advisory Committee in recommendations adopted at a Nov. 17 meeting in Washington. CBP should continue “detailed work” with its counterparts in Canada and Mexico to harmonize all data elements being required by all countries for the import and export manifests according to WCO standards, and should work with Canada and Mexico to allow a single filing to satisfy the requirements of multiple countries and government agencies in certain circumstances, the COAC said in its recommendations.
Filing requirements for security fillings, manifest and cargo release in the U.S., Canada and Mexico should apply only to the party “most qualified” to file, the COAC said. For example, shipment-level information should be filed by the party that issued the transport bill, and transport information should only be provided by the carrier, it said. Each country should extract manifest data from a single source, allowing carriers to file a single manifest to satisfy both import and export manifest requirements, it said. Similarly, common manifest data elements should be used for admissibility purposes during the entry process, and should satisfy export reporting requirements, said the recommendations drafted by the COAC One U.S. Government at the Border Subcommittee.
CBP should work with agencies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to harmonize their individual requirements to collect advanced data for release determinations, the COAC said. CBP should also work with Canada and Mexico to identify agencies that have release/hold authority, and should examine “all permits and licenses required for import and export to determine any redundancies or areas where there are similar requirements and harmonize where possible,” the advisory body said. Data elements for regulatory agencies across all three countries should also be defined, streamlined and harmonized.
The COAC also recommended that CBP encourage the U.S., Canada and Mexico to “examine their current processes for e-commerce including entering, and screening low value importations, not just to facilitate trade, but also to have adequate screening processes to ensure the health and safety of the citizens of the three countries,” the COAC said. “Each country may establish a different value threshold for goods allowed under the de minimis, but screening by [partner government agencies] and CBP for health and safety should be similar,” it said.