U.S. AND MEXICO AGREE TO MUTUAL RECOGNITION
November 9, 2014
On October 17, 2014, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske and Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT) Chief Aristóteles Núñez Sánchez signed a mutual recognition arrangement that will allow for stronger collaboration between CBP’s Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program and SAT’s New Certified Companies Scheme (NEEC).
The mutual recognition arrangement should provide a necessary link between the two programs, so as to create a unified and sustainable security posture that can assist in securing and facilitating global cargo trade, particularly between the United States and Mexico.
Under the new arrangement, members of both C-TPAT and NEEC will enjoy fewer examinations when shipping cargo, a faster validation process, common standards, efficiency for Customs and business, transparency between Customs administrations, business resumption, front-of-the-line processing, and marketability.
C-TPAT is a voluntary government-business initiative aimed at building cooperative relationships in order to strengthen and improve international supply chain security. This new arrangement marks the U.S.’ ninth such endeavor. In addition to Mexico, the United States also has mutual recognition arrangements with New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Korea, Israel, Jordan, the European Union and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office.