Key insights •
Against a backdrop of supply chain disruptions since 2020, the global regulatory environment for trade facilitation remains dynamic as countries are trying to increase supply chain resilience. The OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators (TFIs) help monitor reforms meant to expedite the movement, release, and clearance of goods at the border and they reflect the policy efforts addressing challenges in the operation of supply chains.
•
The trade facilitation areas that improved most by 2022 are co-operation between agencies at the border, transparency of information on trade procedures, and automation tools to facilitate trade. Improvements in these three areas are larger than in the immediate period following the entry into force of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement in 2017.
•
All regions are making progress in streamlining trade-related processes, but further efforts are warranted to close the gaps between establishing regulatory frameworks for trade facilitation and implementation in practice.
•
Trade facilitation policies are key in supporting open markets and in promoting a more sustainable and inclusive trading system. They matter for advancing transparency and predictability throughout global and complex supply chains and as an enabler of economic resilience and diversification along supply chains.
State of play of trade facilitation reforms This policy note provides an overview of the efforts made to expedite the movement, release, and clearance of goods at the border in 163 economies. The OECD Trade Facilitation Indicators (TFIs) refer to a specific set of measures that streamline and simplify the technical and legal procedures for intermediate or final products to be traded internationally (Box 1). The TFIs follow closely the structure of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and therefore provide a means to monitor progress in the implementation of the WTO TFA. Against a backdrop of supply chain disruptions since 2020, the global regulatory environment for trade facilitation remains dynamic, highlighting countries’ efforts to address challenges at the border while enhancing supply chain resilience. This is reflected in the trade facilitation areas that improved most since 2020, namely: co-operation between agencies at the border, availability of information on trade procedures, and automation tools to facilitate trade (Figure 1). Moreover, improvements in these three areas are larger than in the immediate period following the entry into force of the TFA in 2017 (Figure 2).