Lawyers at FratiniVergano have long-standing experience in advising Governments and private parties on issues related to customs. In particular, we advise Governments, producers’ associations, multinational corporations and exporters on customs procedures and classification, preferential rules of origin and duty suspension applications. Above all, we are familiar with the rules and provisions of the EU Customs Code, the EU rules of origin and its preferential tariff regimes.
On customs procedures and classification, we have provided legal advice and assistance to companies before the European Commission and EU Member States’ customs authorities. We have advised on general EU customs law and on the use of EUR.1 Movement Certificates and application of preferential EU rules of origin, particularly within the frameworks or free trade agreements and both the GSP and GSP+ schemes.
In addition, we have advised exporters to the EU on customs classification issues and the use of binding tariff information (BTI) certificates with respect to poultry importation into the EU. In relation to the same market access problem, we were also involved in the ensuing WTO case (i.e., the EC-Chicken Classification case), where we provided advice on certain procedural issues of EU customs law.
On rules of origin, we have advised a major European trade association in the textiles sector on issues related to rules of origin and product traceability. In addition, we have assisted the Governments of Lao PDR, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan in order to allow their producers and exporters to take full advantage of their respective countries' GSP or GSP+ status vis-à-vis the EU.
On transport and transit, we have advised the Asian Development Bank and the Greater Mekong Sub-region’s (GMS) Contracting Parties on many of the key legal and trade facilitation issues related to the Cross-Border Transport Agreement (CBTA).
Lawyers at FratiniVergano have also gained considerable experience in the field of duty suspension applications by the EU, and have successfully assisted multinational corporations and other private entities in achieving duty suspensions by the EU with respect to specific products. In particular, lawyers in the firm have successfully assisted multinational corporations and other private entities in relation to duty suspensions concerning specific chemical and agricultural products.
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