An officer of Thanh Thuy International Border Gate Customs Branch (Ha Giang) inspects import and export goods.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the specialized inspection for import and export goods has seen many significant reforms, which have been recognized by the business community.

Accordingly, specialized inspection procedures for import and export goods have been simplified and the list of items subject to specialized inspection has been narrowed.

Many ministries and government agencies have changed the method of quality inspection for imported goods from pre-clearance inspection to post-clearance inspection. Notably, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Science and Technology have transferred more than 90%, and the Ministry of Information and Communications and the Ministry of Public Security have transferred 100% of items to post-clearance inspection.

The application of risk management principles in specialized inspection stated in many legal documents on specialized management and inspection for import and export goods has been revised as follows: increasing the subjects exempt from inspection; exempting or reducing quality inspection items that have been imported three times and meet the requirements; changing the method of food safety inspection from tightening inspection for all imported consignments to the three methods of tighten, normal, reduced inspections.

After the Prime Minister issued Decision 38/QD-TTg approving the Scheme on reforming the model of quality inspection and food safety inspection for imported goods, the Customs agency became the focal point for specialized inspection, the ministries and government agencies carry out post-clearance inspection and implement seven contents of reforming specialized inspection activities at the border gate, the Ministry of Finance and other ministries and agencies have coordinated to perform assigned tasks.

Immediately after Decision 38 was issued, the Ministry of Finance coordinated with ministries and agencies to develop a draft Decree stipulating the management mechanism, methods and procedures for state inspection of quality and food safety and organize consultations.

On June 4, 2021, the Ministry of Finance sent an official dispatch to the Ministry of Justice to appraise the application for the draft Decree. Based on response of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Finance completed the draft Decree and submitted it to the Government on August 16, 2021.

With the task of accelerating the reform of specialized inspection of import and export goods the Ministry of Finance said that the ministries have implemented the tasks assigned in Decision 1254/QD-TTg, amended and supplemented in Decision 1258 /QD-TTg.

So far, ministries and government agencies have amended and supplemented 29 of 38 documents; promulgated 48 of 60 lists of goods with HS codes; issued regulations and standards or remove group 2 in the list of goods permitted to be imported for all 22 commodity groups.

Three groups of scrap have been removed from the list of scrap permitted to be imported for production by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; and two groups of goods have been removed from the list of group 2 subject to quality inspection by the Ministry of Health.

However, the implementation still has some limitations, such as: the system of legal documents related to the specialized inspection activities is not consistent and unified; risk management has been applied ineffectively; mutual recognition has been conducted; traceability has not been applied; the order and procedures for inspection are still cumbersome, inconsistent, and overlapping and the detection rate is not commensurate with the inspection rate and inspection costs.

The Ministry of Finance proposes other ministries and agencies to continue perfecting and promulgating legal documents on specialized management and inspection and list of goods subject to specialized inspection with HS codes which are being revised; urgently amend and supplement legal documents on specialized inspection and the list of goods subject to specialized inspection with HS codes which have not been implemented according to tasks assigned in Decisions 1254 and 1258.