World Chambers Federation

More chambers join ICC WCF CO Accreditation Chain

  • 5 July 2016
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Close to 20 chambers of commerce have received approval to become the most recent additions to the International Certificate of Origin (CO) Accreditation Chain.

Stockholm Chamber of Commerce, the Commercial Association of Paraná (Associação Comercial do Paraná ACP (Brazil), Tehran Chamber of Commerce (Iran), and local chambers from France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates were all announced as new members during a recent ICC WCF International CO Council meeting which brought together more than 50 CO experts from 37 countries.

The Council’s new chairmanship, led by Peter Bishop, Deputy CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and supported by Martin Van der Weide, Policy Manager on export documents at the Netherlands Chamber of Commerce and Chair of the CO Accreditation committee, made the announcement.

Welcoming the new members, Mr van der Weide said that the CO Chain was evidence of how the global chamber community worked together and provided  a robust structure for the chain’s operations in countries like France, Italy and UAE through the creation of national coordinating bodies (NCB).

The new members are:

– ACP – Associação Comercial do Paraná (Brazil)

– Tehran Chamber of Commerce (Iran)

– Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (Sweden)

In France (Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce as NCB):

– Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de la Vienne

– Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Strasbourg et du Bas-Rhin

– Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Sud Alsace Mulhouse

– Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Colmar et du Centre-Alsace

In Italy (UnionCamere as NCB):

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Bologna

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Genova

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Lucca

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Padova

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Udine

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Arezzo

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Ferrara

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Vicenza

– Chamber of commerce industry, handicraft and agriculture of Rome

In UAE (Dubai Chamber of Commerce as NCB):

– Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry

– Ajman Chamber of Commerce

– RAK Chamber of Commerce

The international CO verification website underpins the CO chain and is a service which is exclusively available to accredited chain members. The site allows Customs authorities to verify online the authenticity of COs issued by participating chambers.

Further development of the site will be led by Luc Dardaud, Manager of the Trade Facilitation department at the Paris Ile de France Chamber of Commerce, who chairs the electronic CO Task Force, helping chambers to address their progression to electronic CO and e-customs issues.

The next International CO Council meeting takes place in Rome on 16 November 2016. Council chairman Peter Bishop has urged as many CO issuing chambers as possible to attend.

“Issuing documents relating to origin is a crucial element of world trade and chambers have an important role to play,” he said. ” By sharing knowledge and best practices, and making systems as easy and efficient for business, we are playing our part in growing and harmonizing world trade.”