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8
Developing a national single window: implementation issues and considerations Ramesh Siva
At present there are no known implementations of comprehensive collaborative border management. Therefore, careful attention should be paid to the broad similarities between features of the collaborative model—its actors, processes, stakeholders, incentives, and disincentives—and those of national single window systems for trade. Such a comparison will indicate close parallels in a number of areas. Countries in recent decades have made serious, systematic efforts to add efficiencies to trade by creating national single windows. Those that have succeeded have greatly improved their ability to compete for foreign direct investment. Other countries, especially in the developing world, have noted this correlation and have sought single windows of their own. And regional initiatives have encouraged the development of national single windows as a prerequisite to joining the regional systems (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Single Window is an example). Emerging knowledge and experience are beginning to identify interlinked areas that ultimately determine the success or failure of national single windows. Those same areas are critical for any effort to extend the single window concept to that of collaborative border management. What is a national single window?
The term national single window is increasingly used to denote coordinated national electronic information exchanges with a focus on legislation,
procedures, and information and communications technology (ICT). Such systems focus on paperless trading—for customs clearance, for license and permit approval by government agencies, and (in a few cases) for transport and logistics activities associated with cargo import, export, transit, transshipment, and border management. National single windows have been mandated by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as a first step toward a regional single window to be used by all 10 of the association’s member countries. The European Union plans to open its single window for all member countries by 2012. And the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation—which shares many members with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations—plans to open its single window for all country members around 2012–13. Other, similar intraregional (but not yet interregional) initiatives are at the planning stage. Each of the single windows has a slightly different emphasis. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is adopting a “your export is my import” philosophy. Europe is aiming for improved movement of goods across B O R D E R M A N A G E M E N T M O D E R N I Z AT I O N
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