Doha Declaration on Customs Union Adopted by GCC Summit

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 23, 2002

Doha Declaration on Customs Union Adopted by GCC Summit

Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states adopted a Doha Declaration on the establishment of a customs union at the end of the 23rd summit on Sunday.

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Leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states adopted a Doha Declaration on the establishment of a customs union at the end of the 23rd summit on Sunday.

"Under the agreement, all fees, taxes, customs and other obstacles to trade within the GCC would be removed and replaced with unified customs measures based on 5 percent customs tariffs between GCC states and the rest of the world," said Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al Attiyah, the secretary-general of the GCC.

The customs union is based on the principle of a single entry point upon which all customs on foreign imported goods would be collected, said Attiyah, who read out the declaration at the summit.

The GCC chief said commodities and goods produced in any of GCC member states would be treated as national products, which would not be subjected to any customs tariffs when moved among the memberstates.

The customs agreement is due to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2003, according to a final statement released by the two-day summitin Doha.

Observers believe the realization of the customs union will be an important turning point for the GCC, which is the world's largest petroleum-exporting bloc, to increase their inner economic cooperation and enhance their strength as an economic entity in trade negotiations with other economic blocs, such as the European Union.

Since its setup in 1981, the GCC has been striving to deepen ecomonic integration among its six member states, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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