European chambers join Certificate of Origin Accreditation Chain amid rise in false trade documents

The approval was made during an ICC WCF International CO Accreditation Committee meeting, which was held virtually on 19 May 2020.

With their newly established status as accredited members of the International CO Accreditation Chain, 70 French chambers, 18 Swiss chambers and the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Mantua in Italy can now benefit from the use of ICC’s internationally-recognised CO label. This certified mark assures banks, businesses, customs administrations and traders that their COs have been issued according to the utmost stringent and harmonised certification standards, based on the ICC WCF International CO Guidelines.

Commenting on the affiliation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Switzerland (SIHK), Chamber President Luca Albertoni said:

“We are very proud to be part of the ICC WCF CO Chain. This means global recognition of the quality of the work done by the Swiss Chambers of Commerce and Industry to support international trade.”

SIHK represents cantonal and regional chambers of commerce in Switzerland and applied on their behalf. The decision to apply and join the CO Chain was taken unanimously by the chamber group, who are organised as private law associations with a voluntary membership.

Vincent Subilia, Director General of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Industry said:

“As major CO issuers, Swiss chambers are delighted to join such a valuable network and thus continue to play an instrumental role as business support organisations – especially in today’s disrupted economic environment – for the benefit of our member companies.”

The announced additions to the CO Chain come as welcome news, as the World Health Organization issues warnings over the growth in fake products, such as medicines, linked to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. With an increase in counterfeit goods and the business concern regarding the purchase of such goods as the crisis continues, chambers who are part of the CO Chain can assure their stakeholders with certainty that regulations are being met.

The new members of the ICC WCF International CO Accreditation Chain include:

In Switzerland:

• Aargauische Industrie- und Handelskammer
• Camera di commercio, dell’industria, dell’artigianato e dei servizi del cantone Ticino
• Chambre de commerce et d’industrie du canton de Fribourg
• Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie du Jura
• Chambre de commerce, d’industrie et des services de Genève
• Chambre neuchâteloise du commerce et de l’industrie
• Chambre valaisanne de commerce et d’industrie
• Chambre vaudoise du commerce et de l’industrie
• Glarner Handelskammer
• Handels- und Industrieverein des Kantons Bern – Berner Handelskammer
• Handelskammer beider Basel
• Handelskammer und Arbeitgeberverband Graubünden
• Handelskammer und Arbeitgebervereinigung Winterthur
• Industrie- und Handelskammer St. Gallen-Appenzell
• Industrie- und Handelskammer Thurgau
• Industrie- und Handelskammer Zentralschweiz
• Solothurner Handelskammer
• Zürcher Handelskammer

In France (with the Paris Chamber of Commerce as the National Coordinating Body):

• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Loir-Et-Cher
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Martinique
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Guyane
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ain
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ile De La Reunion
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Troyes Et Aube
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Charente
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cantal
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nice Cote D’Azur
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bayonne Pays Basque
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Le Mans Sarthe
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cher
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vendee
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Creuse
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Touraine
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tarbes Et Hautes-Pyrenees
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Normandy
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haute-Loire
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Allier
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Tarn
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Vaucluse
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ardennes
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nantes Saint-Nazaire
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Landes
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Cetes D’Armor
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marne En Champagne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ardeche
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aisne Hauts De France
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Amiens-Picardie Hauts-De-France
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Artois
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Grand Hainaut – Hauts De France
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Grand Lille Hauts-De-France
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Littoral Hauts De France
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry De L’oise
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ariege
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nord Isère
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aveyron
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Toulouse
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Limoges Haute-Vienne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haute-Savoie
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Puy De Dome Clermont Auvergne Metropole
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Loiret
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nouvelle Caledonie
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mayenne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Morbihan
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gard
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Indre
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Pau Bearn
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Drome
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Lot
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Herault
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Yonne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nievre
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jura
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Doubs
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Territoire De Belfort
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Haute-Saone
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Deux-Sevres
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Beaujolais
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iles De Guadeloupe
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry La Rochelle
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dordogne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Lot-Et-Garonne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Savoie
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Marseille-Provence
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Aude
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gers
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hautes-Alpes
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Montauban Et Tarn-Et-Garonne
• Chamber of Commerce and Industry Métropolitaine Bretagne Ouest

In Italy (with UnionCamere as the National Coordinating Body):

• Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Mantua

Created by the ICC WCF in 2012, the CO Chain today includes 665 chambers from 25 countries. Through the creation of the Chain, ICC WCF aids chamber leaders in promoting the use of universal certification standards and processes, to better serve the global trading community as a whole.