NOW THAT the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has largely met its goal of
eliminating tariffs in preparation for economic integration by 2015, the focus
should now shift to at-border and behind-the-border issues affecting the flow
of goods across the region.
The ASEAN is a
“success story” in trade facilitation and liberalization, but there are still
urgent items in the agenda, such as the implementation of the a National Single
Window (NSW) aimed at speeding up the processing of licenses and permits for
customs transactions, said Erlinda Medalla, senior research fellow at the Philippine
Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), in the September 12 seminar-workshop
titled “AEC 2015: Development Challenges for the Philippines”.
The Philippines
is at 82-percent completion stage, and ranks fourth among ASEAN members in
terms of implementation. The single-submission system is up and running for 38
government agencies and allows electronic submission of application forms,
viewing of the status of applications via a “dashboard”, and notification
through email of the status of applications.
The NSW portal
is now implemented in major seaports and airports, and coverage for all is
targeted by 2015. Fifty government agencies will be linked to the portal by
2015.
But the second
phase of the NSW—which should lead to an ASEAN Single Window (ASW) with a
turnaround time of just 30 minutes—is stalled. Phase 2 involves declaration
processing, rationalization, simplification, and harmonization; it links the
NSW to the e2m system of the Bureau of Customs, and facilitates ASW integration
including manifest processing.
“There is a
need to strengthen the mandate and legislation of the NSW,” said Medalla.
Medalla also
said behind-the-border measures, such as standards and conformance, mutual
recognition agreements, and accreditation of testing laboratories should be
addressed as well.
Standards and
conformance initiatives of the ASEAN have influenced and continue to drive
change in policies on standards in the Philippines, noted Veredigna Ledda, PIDS
supervising research specialist.
Among ASEAN
priority sectors, the local cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors lead in terms
of adopting technical regulations, as a result of industry support, Ledda said.
But implementation scores remain very low for prepared foodstuff and the
traditional medicine and health supplements sectors, while there is a lack of
technical infrastructure and capability in the automotive and rubber sectors.
“The way
forward lies in capacity building and institutional development. There’s also a
need for more robust infrastructure and greater technical expertise,” she said
during the forum.
Medalla pointed
out that ASEAN integration efforts have resulted in trade creation.
“The direction
of Philippine trade has shifted away from the US and EU to Asia, that is, ASEAN
in particular, during the past 30 years, with ASEAN accounting for 22 percent
of Philippine exports in 2010 from only 2.7 percent in 1975,” Medalla said.
There has also
been simultaneous growth in intra- and extra-ASEAN trade, she added. (PIDS)
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