AEO Association held its first Quarterly Meeting in 2023

Companies certified as an Authorized Economic Operators from CEFTA economies and those applying for this prestigious status are combining their efforts and expertise to jointly contribute to a more favorable business environment for all operators in these markets. They joined their forces through the AEO Association, founded by companies in CEFTA economies, with the support of the European Commission and the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The programme, which aims to enhance international supply chain security and to facilitate trade, is open to all supply chain actors. The AEO concept is based on the Customs-to-Business partnership and makes international trade faster, cheaper and more efficient.

Members of AEO Association held its quarterly meeting in Tirana, Albania, to discuss issues and solutions regarding the advancement of AEO programmes at the regional level. Representatives of all the member companies showed a great willingness to work on improving the conditions for legitimate trade across the CEFTA markets and improve the cooperation with all the Customs and other institutions in all the CEFTA economies. They discussed the further steps and precise requirements which will be presented in new position paper and directed to all the CEFTA Parties, as well as the sustainability and further development of the Association.

The Customs Administration of Albania was present at the meeting of the AEO Association. This practice became a tradition in the meetings held in all the CEFTA Parties and contributes to the transparency of the process and improved public-private dialogue in these economies.

Establishment and work of the AEO Association is supported through the project “Support to Regional Economic Integration”, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).