As many as 180,079 documents of 12,683 businesses were processed through the national one-stop-shop (OSS) mechanism by the end of June 2017, representing year-on-year rises of 107 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively.

The figures were revealed by the General Department of Viet Nam Customs during the second meeting of the National Steering Committee for National and ASEAN One-Stop-Shop (OSS) Mechanisms and Trade Facilitation (Steering Committee 1899) in Ha Noi on Tuesday, which was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue.

According to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, in the first six months of the year, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry was connected to the OSS mechanism, raising the total number of agencies joining the system to 11.

Meanwhile, three more administrative procedures were added to the system, bringing the total figure to 39.

The department is launching an OSS aviation mechanism and a project to supervise import-export activities through the national OSS mechanism in Hai Phong City and Ha Noi, before expanding to localities accommodating major seaports and airports.

Viet Nam is ready to officially connect to the ASEAN OSS Mechanism as soon as the protocol on legal framework for the system becomes effective.

Currently, nine ASEAN member countries, excluding the Philippines, have approved the protocol.

However, Director of the General Department of Viet Nam Customs Nguyen Van Can said that coordination in building legal documents among ministries remained weak, affecting businesses and agencies implementing online customs procedures through the OSS mechanism at nine international seaports. He pointed to the sluggish amendment to legal documents in managing and supervising exports and imports, along with agencies’ failure to recognise each other’s inspection results.

Addressing the meeting, Deputy PM Hue held that some ministries have yet to actively reform administrative procedures, especially customs examination formalities.

He noted that inspection procedures account for 30-35 per cent of total customs procedures, but the ratio of discovered violations is only 0.04 per cent, while the World Bank recommends that the inspection should make up only 15 per cent of customs procedures and base on risk assessment.

Pointing out that 50 per cent of the total inspection procedures of nine ministries do not have specific standards, the Deputy PM said that the application of different standards has caused difficulties to businesses.

He asked relevant ministries, especially the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Health, to promptly review and revise overlapping regulations on customs inspection, lowering the ratio of inspection to 15 per cent by 2020.

He urged ministries and sectors to make greater efforts to fulfill the plan to add 130 procedures to the national OSS mechanism in 2017. The Deputy PM also requested ministries and sectors to complete their specific action plans to implement the ASEAN OSS mechanism by August this year. — VNS