Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Ministry of Finance is hosting the 11th Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) of the Directors General-Commissioners of Customs in Goa on 8th and 9th October, 2015. The Goa meeting will be chaired by Shri Najib Shah, Chairman, CBEC.

 India is hosting the Head of Customs administrations meeting for the first time since joining, the ASEM forum in 2008. Heads of Customs administrations and delegates from 53 Member States of ASEM 30 from Asia, 21 from Europe and two international organizations namely the European Commission and the ASEAN Secretariat are expected to attend. Mr. Kunio Mikuria, Secretary General of the 180 member strong World Customs Organization (WCO) shall be present at the event as an observer.

 Established in 1996, ASEM aims to strengthen the Asia-Europe relations and in this direction provides opportunities for dialogues and cooperation between countries of Asia and Europe in wide areas covering politics, economy, culture and others. Cooperation in Customs matters between Asia and Europe is an important element of the ASEM framework and the Directors General-Commissioners of Customs of ASEM meet biennially to discuss current developments and priorities of Customs work.

 The two-day meeting will focus on the five main priorities of ASEM viz. Trade Facilitation and Supply Chain Security; Combating Infringement on IPR; Protection of Society and Environment; Involving Business; and Communication and Visibility.

 The Directors General-Commissioners of Customs will deliberate on a new action plan for 2016-17 which shall reflect the priorities of Customs administrations as they face the twin challenges of facilitating trade and ensuring legal compliance as global trade volumes rise.

Trade Facilitation and Supply Chain Security leads ASEM customs priorities, prompting a new action plan to balance facilitation and compliance. The meeting convenes heads of customs administrations and observers to develop an action plan that aligns cooperative measures with five priorities: Trade Facilitation and Supply Chain Security; Combating Infringement on Intellectual Property Rights; Protection of Society and Environment; Involving Business; and Communication and Visibility, thereby guiding member administrations on balancing trade facilitation with compliance and enforcement.