As part of the 4th UAE Customs Week activities, H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs held a videoconferencing meeting with a Dutch delegation headed by H.E. Hans Sandee, Consul General for Netherlands to Dubai to discuss means of enhancing mutual economic cooperation and trade between Dubai and Germany, the role of Dubai Customs in supporting supply chain and the customs facilities provided.
The two sides covered major matters including the stimulus packages launched by the Federal Government and Dubai Government to support the business activity and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. They also talked about the measures taken by Dubai Customs to back the global supply chain and the business and trade groups in Dubai.
H.E Hans Sandee stated that Dutch companies in Dubai are stable in terms of safety and doing business.
There are 140 Dutch companies working in Dubai, and Dubai Customs recruits the most advanced and latest technologies to serve the business sector in the best possible way and boost the emirate’s external trade, Musabih pointed out.
“Of the total 16 million transactions we completed last year, 99.3% were done through smart and electronic channels “added Musabih.
Mutual trade between Netherlands and Dubai skyrocketed 56% in the last ten years (2011-2020); from Dhs5.5b in 2011 to Dhs8.6b in 2020. Last year imports amounted to Dhs3.7b, and exports and re-exports made Dhs4.9b.
The meeting is part of a series of regular meetings Dubai Customs organizes to develop its relationships with the foreign business sector as part of Ertibat initiative, which Dubai Customs launch to enhance ties with foreign diplomatic missions and businesses.
In his speech, Musabih highlighted the solid relationships between Germany and the UAE in all fields, including trade, especially after the signing of the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
“The UAE has been ranked first in the Arab world in the post-COVID economic recovery index, and this reflects how dynamic and resilient our national economy is. The UAE ranked first globally in the number of COVID-19 tests carried out per capita, and ranked second in vaccinations per capita at 2.5 million vaccinations so far” said Musabih.
Director General of Dubai Customs expressed optimism about the future of the economic and trade sector in the UAE, with the UAE prepared to host major international events including EXPO 2020.
Musabih shared some of Dubai achievements during the last year with the guests despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Dubai Customs completed 16 million transactions in 2020 growing 23% compared to 2019. These included 13.8m customs declarations marking 30% growth, with 97% automatic approval without any human intervention in less than 10 minutes. Dubai Customs has also dealt with 19.8 million passengers and 13.7 million items of luggage.
On his part, the Dutch Consul General H.E Hans Sandee said the UAE-Netherlands relationships are solid and the UAE is an important strategic partner. Sandee highlighted the major role Dubai Customs played during the pandemic in facilitating global trade and supporting the supply chains, and the generous stimulus package offered by the federal and local governments to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on businesses.
Edris Behzad, Director of Client Happiness Department said: “Ertibat is a transparent and solid platform that enable us foster our relationships with foreign business sector and enable us provide them with the best services and facilities.”
During the meeting, a presentation was delivered on the outstanding and exceptional services Dubai Customs is offering to EXPO exhibitors. These include an EXPO customs clearance guide and the exclusive EXPO clearance channel, among many others.
Eman Badr Al Suwaidi, Director of Customs Valuation Department, who is in charge of the implementation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, said the AEO program applies modern and advanced procedures in compliance with the WTO requirements.
“The AEO program will help member companies with a better access to world markets,” said Al Suwaidi. “Customs transactions completed through the AEO made 61% of the total number of transactions (4.4m) in the first half of 2020, and this is especially of important ahead of the upcoming major events including EXPO 2020 and the 5th WCO Global AEO Conference, in which more than 1,500 delegates will take part,” she said.
The IPR Department delivered a presentation on the role the department plays in raising awareness around the intellectual property rights and the recycling of counterfeit items. In 2018, 28 trademarks were recorded in the Department, 15 in 2019 and 31 in 2020.
The meeting also focused on the Cross Border e-Commerce. The innovative platform utilizes block chain technology to integrate and automate operations between Customs, Free Zones, logistics, and courier companies. It is the first of its kind in the region, and it aims to help the emirate become a global hub for e-commerce, and encourage e-commerce companies set their businesses in Dubai.