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Abu Dhabi: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Customs Union Committee in its last meeting in Riyadh called for greater cooperation among the member countries in fighting cross-border smuggling and counterfeiting, according to the UAE Federal Customs Authority (FCA).
The 43rd meeting of the committee discussed vital issues related to the GCC Customs Union including the request for harsher and additional measures against smugglers by the exporting countries.
"The committee has requested more direct cooperation among the GCC member countries through collective information exchange to curb customs violations and smuggling carried out by exporters, importers, drivers, and customs clearing officers, offending the unified customs law of the GCC," Saeed Bin Khalifa Al Merri, FCA's deputy director, said on Sunday.
The committee has decided as well to forward all the pending smuggling cases to the GCC Financial and Economic Cooperation Committee to take the necessary measures.
"The UAE has suggested that many problems can be solved through bilateral efforts in the context of the mechanisms set for overcoming the hurdles facing trade approved by GCC," Al Merri explained.
The committee discussed as well the problems related to the certificates of origin, and the delaying of trucks at the land border points, especially in relation to food-stuffs.
"The committee reiterated the importance of approving a unified table for services fees to be paid at the customs checkpoints," Al Merri added.
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