The 2011 Taiwan & EU Customs Workshop—Customs Valuation & Certification and Verification of Country of Origin Opens on October 17th

In order to strengthen international customs interaction with the European Union, the Training Institute, Ministry of Finance (MOFTI) is scheduled to hold “The 2011 Taiwan & EU Customs Workshop—Customs Valuation & Certification and Verification of Country of Origin” from October 17th to 20th. This workshop is aiming at cultivating international customs talents and assisting local customs officers to better understand the fundamentals, practices and auditing of customs valuation as well as rules of origin.
As the globalization evolving over time, the main task of modern customs can be categorized into trade facilitation and effective border control. Therefore, cross-border customs collaboration becomes more and more important. After the 2008 APEC Customs Data Harmonization Workshop and the 2010 APEC Amity Customs Seminar, the MOFTI will invite Ms. Ausrele Zarakaukaite from European Union—DG TAXUD and Ms. Sandra Esser from the Main Customs Office Cologne in Germany to address crucial issues related to customs valuation and rules of origin and to share their valuable experiences with all participants.
This four-day workshop will feature introduction to WTO Committee on rules of origin(ROO), WTO Agreement on ROO, Certification and Verification of Country of Origin, Analysis on the Customs Valuation, WTO Valuation Agreement, and introduction to Transfer Pricing of Imported Goods. In addition, this workshop will also invite customs officers from Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, India, Vietnam, Israel, the Philippines and Mongolia to share their experiences to further promote the international customs communication.
Ms. Ausrele Zarakauskaite works for the Customs Department under the Ministry of Finance, Lithuania. She is also a delegated national expert to the European Commission (EC) TAXUD and responsible for the EC implementation of rules of origin, issue of proofs of origin, and customs legislation. Meanwhile, she devoted herself to the training of customs officers and economic operators. She also actively takes part in the negotiation of Free Trade Agreements.
Ms. Sandra Esser works for the Main Customs Office Cologne – Federal Office for Customs Valuation in Germany. She is an expert in the field of customs valuation and relevant auditing. She also plays an important role in the advanced vocational training for customs auditors. She is a active speaker in the workshops held by the European Commission.
The advance of auditing techniques relies heavily on the passing down of know-how and accumulation of experience. Participants taking part in this Seminar will be able to learn of the latest trends and practices in the customs valuation and rules of origin, which will aid them in enhancing local practice and also help to ensure compliance with international standards. In the future, the MOFTI will remain committed to holding various international customs programs and cultivating talented personnel so as to cope with upcoming challenges.

(contact: Albert Wang 886-2-86632399 ext.222)