The OECD Recommendation on Countering Illicit Trade: Enhancing Transparency in Free Trade Zones (“the Recommendation”) was developed to support transparency in FTZs and is part of a broader effort to counter illicit trade.
The objective of the Recommendation is to assist governments and policy makers to deter illicit trade conducted via FTZs by improving the legal framework and access to information by competent authorities to encourage domestic and international co-operation.
The Recommendation calls on Members and non-Members (the “Adherents”) to encourage FTZs to adopt and implement a voluntary Code of Conduct for Clean Free Trade Zones (the “Code of Conduct”) as set out in the Annex to the Recommendation. The resulting mechanism, The Certification Scheme, was developed as a Public Private Partnership between the OECD, Free Trade Zones, and the TIC Industry.
