The government on Friday approved the draft law on rules of origin, aiming to help promote and facilitate trade that benefits from trade preferences and non-systemic practices. It will also help prevent counterfeiting.
The draft law was approved at a weekly cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Phay Siphan, Minister Delegate Attached to the Prime Minister and Head of the Government Spokesperson Unit, said that the draft law is aimed at determining the principles and rules on the origin of exported and imported goods. It is to promote and facilitate trade that benefits from trade preferences and non-trade preferences practices.
The law is also intended to participate in preventing counterfeiting of goods of origin.
The draft law, which has nine chapters and 35 articles, aims to establish the principles and rules for determining the origin of exported and imported goods.
“The draft law on the rules of origin is to define the principles and rules of origin, both the rules of origin under the preferential and non-preferential trade systems, which currently does not have a separate law on rules on the origin of goods under the preferential trade system and outside the preferential trade system yet, apart from the implementation of this section through the free trade agreements of which Cambodia is a member,” he wrote in a Facebook post.
In addition, it will enable Cambodia to fulfill its commitments under the WTO framework and promote and facilitate trade with the private sector, especially the export of Cambodian goods that receive preferential tariffs from the importing countries that provide trade preferences to Cambodia and under various free trade agreements to which Cambodia is a member.
The draft law will contribute to the prevention and control of counterfeiting of goods of origin, which can help ensure that goods exported from Cambodia are of Cambodian origin and in accordance with the Free Trade Agreements.
A certificate of origin is an official document used to certify that a product was wholly produced or manufactured in a country. It is generally a key document required by buyers.
Traders and exporters can apply online for certificates of origin for their exports, submitting applications through the website of their respective provincial commerce department of the Ministry of Commerce.
In 2022, Cambodia exported a total of 8.6 million tons of agricultural products to 74 international markets.
This article was first published in Khmer Times. All contents and images are copyright to their respective owners and sources.
