Whilst efforts concerning the development of Single Window facilities have been focused on technical issues for some time, it is only recently that attention has turned to the necessity for creating an enabling legal infrastructure to ensure the success of a Single Window facility or a regional Single Window network. The UN/CEFACT Recommendation No 35 on Establishing a Legal Framework for International Trade Single Window is expected to be released soon. In 2008, the WCO and UNCITRAL formed the WCO-UNCITRAL Joint Legal Task Force on Coordinated Border Management Incorporating the International Single Window to bring together experts from both organisations to develop a comprehensive international reference document that will provide guidance on the legal aspects of international Single Window implementation to governments that are considering the implementation of Single Window facilities. Given that no regional or international Single Window has yet been implemented, governments that are engaged in regional or international Single Window projects do not have the benefit of learning from the experience of other successfully implemented regional or international Single Window projects. Being a relatively recent field of study, the full extent and complexity of the legal and regulatory issues arising from the implementation of a regional or international Single Window network has yet to be clearly understood. This paper discusses some of the key legal and regulatory issues arising from the implementation of a domestic or national Single Window, and those arising from the implementation of a regional or international Single Window network. It highlights that such legal and regulatory issues should be taken into account during the planning and design phase of a Single Window project.
Global Trade and Customs Journal