Services

The CEFTA Authorised Economic Operators (AEOs) programme is based on Article 25 of the AP5 and Annex III, and it aims at enhancing supply chain security and facilitating legitimate trade by recognising trusted businesses. Companies granted the AEO status have various benefits, including:

• Reduced Customs controls;
  
• Priority inspections; and
  
• Simplified procedures.
  

Annex III of the AP5 regulates the status of AEO, notably:

• The criteria for granting the AEO status;
  
• The benefits that AEO enjoy; and
  
• The rules for the suspension, revocation, rejection and annulment of the AEO status.
  

In this regard, the AEO status is the official recognition granted to compliant economic operators, while the AEO programme is the comprehensive framework that defines the criteria, processes, and benefits associated with obtaining and maintaining that status. A list of AEOs is available here.

The CEFTA Subcommittee on Customs and Rules of Origin has focused on the implementation of the AEO programme in the region, including the issue of mutual recognition of AEO programmes. For the latter, the CEFTA Joint Committee has adopted Decision No.1/2019 on the Establishing the validation procedure for the mutual recognition of CEFTA Parties’ national Authorised Economic Operators’ Programmes with regard to the safety and security (AEOS).

This decision sets out a validation procedure for the mutual recognition of CEFTA Parties’ AEO programmes. Furthermore, CEFTA Joint Committee Decision No.2/2020 on Establishing a common logo for CEFTA Parties’ Authorised Economic Operators established a common logo for AEOs within CEFTA, used to identify AEOs whose programmes have been mutually recognised by CEFTA Parties, facilitating trade and Customs procedures within the region for them.