Minister Blaney signals discussion with Israel on customs Mutual Recognition Arrangement

Submitted by admin on Thu, 10/02/2014 - 19:54

The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and Yair Lapid, Minister of Finance of the State of Israel, yesterday signed a Declaration of Intent to begin negotiations on a customs Mutual Recognition Arrangement between the two countries.

The Canada Border Service Agency’s Partners in Protection program and the Israel Tax Authority’s Authorized Economic Operator program both enhance border and trade chain security. Negotiations on a Mutual Recognition Arrangement between both programs are expected to begin in November 2014.

Quick Facts

  • Canada and Israel share a strong trade relationship. A Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement has been in force since 1997, and both countries signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement in December 2012...
  • A Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) signifies that both countries apply similar security standards and similar site validations when approving companies for membership in their respective Authorized Economic Operator programs...

This has been excerpted from a 16 September 2014 news release on Canada.ca.