Tailored advisory support

Our association aims to primarily provide its tailored advisory services to our Members to meet their priorities and challenges. We will thrive to mobilize the best available expertise to support our Members. Services may be provided in the following areas, amongst others: 

  • Sensitization on AEO Programmeme and certification requirements
  • Support with AEO application preparation
  • Support with AEO improvement/upgrade plans…

Lobbying and advocacy

The RAEOA is the official voice of AEO companies in the region. As such, it has tremendous potential to influence public policy regarding the operation and enhancement of AEO Programmes at national and regional levels.

Based on consultations with our Members, benchmarking and data-driven research efforts, we prepare Position Papers on an annual basis. These positions papers do not only identify key issues that need to be addressed from a business perspective but also put forward action-oriented resolutions to enhance and improve AEO Programmes and ensure that their expected benefits are delivered for both public administrations and economic operators.

Our position papers are disseminated and presented to the Customs Administrations in the region and subsequently discussed with them to find common grounds for the continuous progress of AEO Programmes across the region.

Public-Private Partnership

AEO Programmes rely on a healthy and robust public-private partnership, primarily between Customs and economic operators in the international trade area (exporters, importers, brokers, transporters, etc).

Consequently, our Association regularly organizes public-private consultations between our Members and representatives of the Customs Administrations and other relevant governmental agencies (agriculture, border police…) in the region.

Bringing high-level officials and globally recognized experts on AEO matters, one of our main events is the organization of thematic regional conferences in the AEO area. These regional conferences allow for presentations and discussions on the the latest trends, patterns, practices and developments in the AEO arena at the regional and global levels.

For more information on our public-private consultations, consult the dedicated “Our Events”.

AEO Data analytics and research

Gathering and analysing operational data on the day-to-day realities of the AEO Programme at border crossings is a key function of the Association. This work helps our Member to determine the extent to which the intended benefits of the AEO Programmes are being realised in practice, and facilitates the preparation of recommendations for enhancements to the AEO Programme.

Such recommendations are shared directly with relevant government parties and are also incorporated into the Association’s Annual Position Paper which is presented to Customs and other regulatory authorities.

To facilitate our data collection and analysis efforts, we have developed with our Members a state of the art monitoring tool that looks into performance indicators related to cross-border crossing time for AEO consignments and realization of priority treatments of AEOs at the border amongst others.

In order to appraise and advise our Members better, we also conduct AEO and trade facilitation focused research efforts, including the consultations of the latest WCO tools and recommended practices in this area as well as benchmarking with regional and international partners.