Certificates of Origin

International CO Accreditation Chain gets boost from European chambers

  • 28 May 2018
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The Finland Chamber of Commerce—along with 15 chambers from Denmark, France, Italy, and Sweden—are the latest members to join the International Certificate of Origin (CO) Accreditation Chain.

ICC-CO-logo
ICC WCF International Certificate of Origin Label

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)’s World Chambers Federation (WCF) made the announcement during an International CO Council meeting that included over 50 experts from 30 countries. The forum took place in Xi’an, China and was chaired by Peter Bishop, the Deputy CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Nearly all countries throughout the world consider the origin of imported goods when determining customs duties for goods, or if they may be legally imported at all. As such, CO’s are key international trade documents confirming that goods from a particular shipment have been entirely obtained, produced, manufactured or processed in a particular country.

Chambers are located in almost every country, making them prime agents in the delivery of COs. Joining WCF’s International CO Accreditation Chain affirms that chambers are mutually responsible and globally interconnected, and assures businesses, traders, banks and customs administrations that COs are issued in accordance with international best practices.

Emphasising the necessity of such rules and standards in international trade, Timo Vuori, Executive Director of ICC Finland and Executive Vice-President of the Finland Chamber of Commerce said: “We are very pleased to be part of WCF’s International CO Accreditation Chain. Being part of the Accreditation Chain takes our already high quality services to the next level for the betterment of Finnish companies. We strongly believe that international recognition of the CO label will bring important added value to our exporting companies in this digitalised global economy.”   

Anne Hatanpaa and Hannele Visuri, the Finland Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Practice and CO Advisors underlined Mr Vuori’s comments, stating: “All of the 19 chambers of commerce in Finland will be accredited this year, and this accreditation journey that we have taken together will enhance our chambers’ overall customer experience and cooperation nationally.”

The new members of the International CO Accreditation Chain include:

  • The Finland Chamber of Commerce
  • In Denmark with the Danish Chamber of Commerce as the national coordinating body:
    • Confederation of Danish Industry
    • Danish Agriculture and Food Councils
  • In France with Paris Regional Chamber of Commerce as the national coordinating body:
    • Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Pyrenees Orientales
  • In Italy with UnionCamere as the national coordinating body:
    • Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Cosenza;
    • Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Handicraft and Agriculture of Reggio Calabria
  • In Sweden with Stockholm as the national coordinating body:
    • Chamber of Commerce of Central Sweden
    • Chamber of Commerce of East Sweden
    • Chamber of Commerce of Malardalen
    • Chamber of Commerce of Southern Sweden
    • Jonkoping Chamber of Commerce
    • Wermland Chamber of Commerce
    • Mid Sweden Chamber of Commerce
    • Norrbotten Chamber of Commerce
    • Vesterbotten Chamber of Commerce
    • Wermland Chamber of Commerce
    • West Sweden Chamber of Commerce

Currently, there are 523 chambers from 21 countries issuing certificates of origin bearing the ICC WCF International CO Label. The label signifies that chambers are providing services of the utmost quality in implementing transparent and accountable verification procedures. Chambers interested in joining the Accreditation Chain should email wcf@iccwbo.org.