Bahrain Customs President takes part in panel on data driven e-commerce at WCO Council meetings

Brussels, June 28 (BNA): Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, President of Customs, participated in a panel discussion on data driven approaches to managing e-commerce in customs administrations, held on the sidelines of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Council meetings in Brussels from June 23 to 28.

Shaikh Ahmed headed Bahrain’s delegation to the 92nd session of the WCO Policy Commission and the 145th and 146th sessions of the WCO Council. The panel discussed challenges in e-commerce, including postal shipments and data quality, and emphasised the importance of cooperation between customs administrations and relevant sectors to facilitate e-commerce flows.

The meetings also addressed key issues for the international customs community, including customs valuation and capacity building, with the aim of enhancing performance and enabling customs authorities to keep pace with rapid technological developments.

Several important tools were endorsed during the sessions as part of the WCO framework, including the E-Commerce Package and assessment tools under the SAFE Framework on customs security standards.