The German Alliance for Trade Facilitation met for this year’s fall working meeting in Ludwigshafen at the invitation of BASF SE. Next to technical discussions, the event created a space to exchange personally and to jointly set new impulses for the further work of the German Alliance.
Representatives of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate (BMWK), the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and Jochen Dächert, BASF SE, opened the working meeting with words of appreciation for the practical approach of the German Alliance.
More than 20 participants exchanged on the following topics:
Activities of the German Alliance
As part of the last ideas competition in March 2022, certain project ideas were selected for closer examination. The secretariat provided information on the current status and gave an outlook on the next steps.
In addition, the possible upscaling of existing project approaches in Jordan was presented. Initial meetings have already been held with the authorities and the local private sector. A potentially new project would build on the successful approaches of the “Digitizing Global Trade” (DGT) and “Digitising Global Maritime Trade” (DGMT) projects.
Moreover, the participants looked back together on the past High-Level Forum in Berlin. The two focus topics of the event were the African Continental Free Trade Area and the digitalisation of global trade. The network perceived the forum as a great success. It offers various linking points for subsequent formats and further thematic exchange.
Topics from Politics, Science and Practice
Dr. Hasso Rieck and Malte Harders (BMWK) gave an insight into current developments in terms of trade facilitation within the World Trade Organization (WTO). They reported on the WTO event on the 5th anniversary of the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Against this background, Dr. Rieck positively emphasized the practical approach of the German Alliance towards the agreement’s implementation with concrete, targeted measures.
Prof. Julian Hinz, Kiel Institute for the World Economy, gave a guest lecture on the recently published study “Effects of the AfCFTA for German and European Companies“. The study results were taken up with interest.
On top of the topics from politics and science, the participants discussed current developments with practical relevance for companies and associations. One focus was on opportunities and challenges for the private sector through the “Greening Trade Facilitation” approach. Ideas for cooperation with customs on the topic of “Green Customs” within the framework of existing projects in Ghana were presented. Furthermore, the participants exchanged views on current challenges for companies, such as export controls, data exchange etc.
The next Working Meeting will take place in April/May 2023. If you are interested to participate, please contact the secretariat via tradefacilitation@giz.de.
