OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators

2. Key Trends in Trade Facilitation

Border agency co-operation is the top area of progress, yet the hardest to further improve

Domestic and border agency co-operation are the trade facilitation areas which improved the most globally since 2022 (Figure 2.1). It has also served as a catalyst for stronger cross-border agency co-operation. Already the leading area of reform in 2022, domestic border agency co-operation laid the groundwork for increased coordination with trading partners, reinforcing integrated trade facilitation efforts. While border agency co-operation is the top area of progress, it began from a relatively limited baseline and remains the area with the largest potential for further improvement (Figure 2.2).

The streamlining of procedures and the availability of trade-related information are the other areas showing notable progress. Although the automation of border processes continues to improve, there is a slowdown in implementation due to interoperability challenges, regulatory fragmentation, and uneven adoption of digital standards across countries. Similar technical challenges affect areas of advance rulings, appeal procedures, fees, and charges.

Figure 2.1. Most improvements are in areas that enhance border agency co-operation and streamline trade-related processes

Percentage change (%) by TFI area, 2022-24

Note: The figure shows the percentage change between 2022-24 by trade facilitation area.

Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI).

Figure 2.2. While border agency co-operation is the top area of progress, it began from a relatively limited baseline and remains the area with the largest potential for further improvement

2 = maximum performance that can be achieved by area, 2012-24

Note: The figure shows the global average by area between 2012 and 2024.

Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI).

A combination of institutional and regulatory reforms is driving improvements in border agency co-operation

Countries have been scaling up investments in domestic border agency co-operation introduced since the COVID-19 pandemic, when flexible approaches helped adapt border processes and facilitate trade of selected goods. The increasing pressure from global supply chain disruptions and evolving patterns of trade have accelerated the need to formalise previously informal or sector-specific taskforces. This is reflected in:

• Advances in the institutional mechanisms that support inter-agency co-ordination domestically by establishing a permanent technical Secretariat and increasing the number of relevant agencies. These structures also meet regularly to develop strategy and oversee implementation of domestic border agency co-operation, while proceedings are increasingly being made publicly available, albeit at various levels of comprehensiveness.

• Advances in regulatory frameworks that allow more agencies to delegate control to another agency involved in the management of cross-border trade, particularly Customs, as well as to share intelligence with a view to improving risk management efficiency and to managing certified trader (Authorised Operators, AOs) programmes.

Cross-border agency co-operation mirrors the enhanced domestic co-operation on risk management and certified trader systems. Examples of reforms include:

• Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand have been operationalising the ASEAN Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (AAMRA), signed in September 2023. Under the AAMRA, certified AEOs are set to benefit from expedited customs clearance, reduced documentation requirements, and priority treatment during inspections.

• In Central America, the advancement of the Central American Digital Trade Platform (PDCC) has been enhancing co-ordination of data requirements and IT systems across countries in the region such as Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, 11 economies in Latin America and the Caribbean (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay) have been operationalising a regional arrangement for AEOs set up in 2022.

• In the Central Asia region, the development of trade and transport corridors – such as the Middle Corridor (Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) or the China-Kyrgyz Republic-Uzbekistan railway for multimodal freight transport – has also been a stepping stone towards better co-ordination of data requirements and IT systems.

• In the European Union area, efforts have focused on strengthening capacities on risk management co-operation. This followed the launch of the Common Customs Risk Management System 2 (CRMS2), a comprehensive upgrade designed to bolster the real-time exchange of risk-related information among customs administrations in the EU, Norway and Switzerland. CRMS2 addresses a broad spectrum of risks, including health hazards from counterfeit medical products, intellectual property rights infringements, and environmental and product safety concerns. By enabling instant alerts – such as Risk Information Forms (RIFs) – to be shared across various customs offices, CRMS2 increased inter-agency synergies in terms of shared risk profiling of traders or goods, or of risk analysis and exchange of the results thereof.

Cross-border agency co-operation is largely driven by the improved co-ordination mechanisms between Customs agencies. This includes those mechanisms that are linked to the co-ordination of data requirements and IT systems (Figure 2.3).

Figure 2.3. Institutional and regulatory frameworks together with risk management and digitalisation measures are driving improvements in domestic and cross-border agency co-operation

Note: The size of the individual squares highlights the contribution of the showcased measures to the improvement in the areas of domestic and cross-border agency co-operation, respectively.

Source: OECD TFIs database, 2025 (https://sim.oecd.org/default.ashx?ds=TFI).

Efforts to involve more agencies in these mechanisms were less successful domestically than hoped for due to interoperability challenges between agencies’ systems and the challenges to fully integrate other relevant border agencies (e.g. sanitary and phytosanitary agencies, health agencies, licensing agencies, environmental agencies, product standards and other regulatory agencies, security and counterfeit prevention agencies) in systems such as Single Windows. Similar challenges are encountered in risk management systems; these continue to improve for Customs agencies but there is less of an uptake by other agencies, which implies that silos continue to exist between different enforcement domains.

Improved systems for certified traders, post-clearance audits and perishable goods are at the forefront of streamlining border procedures

Measures accelerating trade flows while ensuring regulatory compliance are driving progress in streamlining border procedures. This includes improvements in the systems for certified traders, post-clearance audits (PCAs), and perishable goods.

• More economies are not only introducing certified trader programmes, but are increasing focus on the certification time, costs, and benefits granted.

• Post-Clearance Audits have shifted the focus from time-consuming border inspections to risk-based, post-release compliance checks. Standard policies and procedures are increasingly ensuring the conduct of PCAs in a transparent and risk-based manner.

• Priority lanes, storage facilities, and fast-track clearance for food and pharmaceuticals are increasingly ensuring that time-sensitive shipments reach markets before spoilage.

Improved operational practices are needed to make trade documents and procedures faster and easier

Further progress in automation of border processes is limited due to the lagging implementation of regulatory frameworks as well as interoperability issues. Implementation gaps are most notable in pre-arrival processing, certified trader programmes, PCAs, where the share of trade transactions covered in practice remains low in many countries.

That said, some of the digital solutions implemented during COVID-19 in several economies continued to be integrated in existing customs and border management systems. This includes digital certificates and signatures (e.g. Cambodia, Indonesia); functions for the release of goods subject to conditions (i.e. guarantees) in the automated processing system (e.g. Kyrgyz Republic, Lesotho, Romania, Sierra Leone, Togo); and integration of electronic payment with the declaration/cargo processing systems (e.g. Costa Rica).

Asia-Pacific and Europe and Central Asia regions are at the forefront of legal and regulatory reforms to digitalise border processes. For instance, since 2024, APEC economies have been carrying out work on mapping the challenges and gaps to adopting or maintaining a legal framework that considers UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR).

More comprehensive and accessible information is available online

Businesses engaging in international trade require real-time, transparent, and easily accessible information in order to remain compliant. Many economies worldwide have been enriching the information available online on advance rulings, fees and charges applied, penalty provisions, applicable trade-related legislation, as well as automated duties and fees databases, dedicated interactive webpages for professional users / companies, and user manuals for new systems. Since 2022, several countries have implemented or upgraded their Trade Information Portals (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan in Central Asia; Vanuatu and Tuvalu in Asia-Pacific; Uganda in Sub-Saharan Africa) to enhance transparency and efficiency in international trade. These portals provide comprehensive, user-friendly platforms that consolidate all relevant trade-related information, simplifying the process for businesses to navigate export-import regulations.

Advance rulings, appeal processes and fees systems require technical improvements to work better

Many countries still face technical shortcomings in systems of advance rulings, appeal procedures, and fees and charges. Advance rulings often lack digital accessibility and standardisation, making it difficult for businesses to obtain clear guidance before shipments. Challenges also exist in terms of the possibility to request a review of an advance ruling or its revocation / modification as well as the motivation of the refusal to issue an advance ruling. Appeal procedures can often be slow and complex, discouraging traders from contesting certain decisions. Additionally, fees and charges are often unclear or inconsistently applied, thereby increasing trade costs and uncertainty.