CAREC Session: Advancing Transit in CAREC Countries: From Concept to Pilot Implementation
A session at the Asia Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum x Paperless Trade Week 2026
The CAREC session on Advancing Transit in CAREC Countries: From Concept to Pilot Implementation was held at the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Forum x Paperless Trade Week 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand on 10 June 2026.
The session brought together customs officials from Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan, along with representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and ADB, to discuss the development and rollout of the CAREC Advanced Transit System and Information Common Exchange (CATS/ICE). A harmonized, risk-based digital transit system modeled on the EU’s New Computerized Transit System (NCTS) and the ASEAN Customs Transit System (ACTS), CATS/ICE aims to replace fragmented paper-based procedures with a single electronic transit declaration. Pilot countries shared first-hand experiences, highlighting expected gains in processing time, risk management through advance data exchange, and predictability for the private sector.
Cross-regional dialogue drew on ACTS and NCTS implementation experience to identify lessons for CATS/ICE, highlighting the need for early legal preparation, phased rollout, dedicated governance, and proactive private sector engagement.
Key Documents
Presentations
This event is supported under TA0069: Implementing the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Integrated Trade Agenda 2030 (Phase 2).