There are now ninety (90) countries that have ratified the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA).
Traders from both developing and developed countries have long pointed to the vast amount of “red tape” that still exists in moving goods across borders, and which poses a particular burden on small and medium-sized enterprises. To address this, WTO Members concluded negotiations on a landmark Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) at their 2013 Bali Ministerial Conference and are now in the process of adopting measures needed to bring the Agreement into effect.
The TFA contains provisions for expediting the movement, release and clearance of goods, including goods in transit. It also sets out measures for effective cooperation between customs and other appropriate authorities on trade facilitation and customs compliance issues. It further contains provisions for technical assistance and capacity building in this area. The Agreement will help improve transparency, increase possibilities to participate in global value chains, and reduce the scope for corruption.
The TFA was the first Agreement concluded at the WTO by all of its Members.
Here is a link to the ratification list of countries: List of WTO Members that have ratified the TFA
What are European business leaders worried about?
Today we know that more Government and Private Sector oartnerships and cooperation is the only way to the future.
One of the things we still often do wrong in Government is to assume that we know what Trade and Industry want and need. In fact we have to listen more directly to the private sector and at the same time to transparently explain the tasks of authorities – and why it is done – and at the same time to articilte when it is not possible to accomodate wanted changes.
We also need more academic and scientific research and surveys about the concerns of international business to re-design our business processes better and more efficient jointly.
That is why a study done by Deloitte ‘European CFO Survey – Politics takes Center Stage (2016)’ about the main concerns of the European business, published for the international environment – so important.
I have especially noted and highlighted the question “Which of the following factors are likely to pose a significiant risk for your business o er the next12 monhts?”.
The consequences of Brexit is naturally on the agenda right now but also a range of other factors like e.g. competiveness and domestic political decisons.
In general it is also worth to note the difference in the answers between the different EU Member States and where expected international crises are seen only as one out of many risks, while domestic decidions also are considered to have a major impact on business and competitiveness.
You can find the report here (click the link): Deloitte report
The Airports Council International (ACI) recently released its list of the busiest airports in the world. Once again, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) took the top spot, with more than 100 million passengers in 2015. According to the ACI, this represents an increase in traffic of over 5.5% over 2014. The trade group attributes Atlanta’s success to its strategic location, where it is within a two-hour flight of 80% of the US population.
In addition, the ACI credits the growth of ATL’s largest tenant — Delta Air Lines — for the airport’s continued expansion. Globally, the number of people traveling by air grew at a rate of 6.1% in 2015.
“It’s impressive to witness the dynamic character of the aviation industry and its evolution over time,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said in a statement. “Even in the most mature markets such as the United States and parts of Western Europe, several of the major hubs experienced year-over-year growth rates in passenger traffic that were well above the historical growth levels for these regions.”
The trade group compiled its list using passenger-traffic data from 1,144 airports around the world.
Here are the 16 busiest airports in the world based on total passenger traffic:
No. 16. Singapore Changi Airport (SIN): 55,449,000 passengers in 2015
No. 15. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): 56,827,154 passengers in 2015
No. 14. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS): 58,284,864 passengers in 2015
No. 13. Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG): 60,053,387 passengers in 2015
No. 12. Frankfurt Airport (FRA): 61,032,022 passengers in 2015
No. 11. Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST): 61,836,781 passengers in 2015
No. 10. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): 64,072,468 passengers in 2015
No. 9. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG): 65,766,986 passengers in 2015
No. 8. Hong Kong International Airport (HKG): 68,283,407 passengers in 2015
No. 7. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): 74,937,004 passengers in 2015
No. 6. Heathrow Airport (LHR): 74,989,795 passengers in 2015
No. 5. Tokyo International Airport (HND): 75,316,718 passengers in 2015
No. 4. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD): 76,949,504 passengers in 2015
No. 3. Dubai International Airport (DXB): 78,010,265 passengers in 2015
No. 2. Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK): 89,938,628 passengers in 2015
No. 1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): 101,491,106 passengers in 2015
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