Implement the National Single Window: Ministries and sectors have sign of reducing

The National Single Window implementation is mainly in Seaport areas. In photo: Import and export operations through the Green Port, Hai Phong. Photo: Thai Binh

But enthusiasm and determination of many ministries, sectors are likely to decrease compared to one or two years ago.

First of all, we also can not deny the efforts of ministries and sectors in implementing the National Single Window in the past time, especially the strong implementation at the first periods of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

However, compared with the actual requirements and guidelines of the Government, and the Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue- the Head of National Steering Committee for the ASEAN Single Window (ASW) and National Single Window and Trade facilitation, it is clear that the deployment of many ministries, sectors have signs of "reducing"

For example, for the number of procedures, not including 2014- the first pilot period of the implementation (from November 2014), there were only 4 connected procedures, in 2015 the implemented procedures of ministries and sectors increased to nearly 20 procedures, but in 2016 there were only more than 10 connected procedures. The number of connections reduced, but in fact there were many administrative procedures of ministries and sectors, which need to be connected to NSW.

At the first meeting of the National Steering Committee (on December, 2016), this issue was also frankly acknowledged, with 36 procedures (to the beginning of March 2017, the additional procedure for granting C/ O of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the number of procedures increased up to 37 procedures) are only equivalent to 13% of the number of procedures of the ministries, which must be connected to the NSW. Hence, in order to ensure that the contents in the plan of deploying the NSW and ASW in 2016-2020 are implemented under the Prime Minister's Decision No.2185/QD-TTg, from now by 2020 the ministries and sectors must implement 243 administrative procedures, much more than 6 times the number of procedures which were implemented in past time. In particular, in 2017, the number of procedures must be implemented over 100 procedures, but from the beginning of 2017 to now there are not new additional procedures.

It is said that after the time of promoting the deployment in 2015, to 2016, the relevant ministries and sectors will restructure the organizational structure. At the same time, the Government level will be adjusted (from Steering Board into Steering Committee) and adding more tasks for the Committee to facilitate trade. Therefore, the new connection procedure is not much. On the other hand, the ministries and sectors must set up a deployment plan for 2016-2020, affecting to the procedures expansion for joining NSW.

There are objective factors leading to the restriction of the new procedure, but there are some other issues which make the public opinion question about the determination of the ministries and sectors when joining NSW. For example, according to Announcement No.451/TB-VPCP dated December 30, 2016 of the Government Office, the Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue asked ministries and sectors to promulgate specific programs and action plans for deployment of NSW in January 2017. However, although the Standing Authority issued many documents to propose and urgent, in the beginning of March, 2017 there are 3 units: Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, State Bank sending the plans to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

Another factor is that although the procedures are connected on NSW there have been few dossiers and businesses joining NSW. On the other hand, the expansion of the number of procedures by ministries is still restricted compared to the requirements. Although the ministries such as Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Health have many procedures, the number of procedures conducted through the National Single Window accounted for a small proportion of the total procedures deployed in 2016-2020 (Ministry of Transport: 11/89 procedures, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: 9/26 procedures, Ministry of Health: 5/55 procedures); in 2016 the Ministry of Industry and Trade has not implemented new procedures ...

Nearly 10,000 enterprises participate in the National Single Window VCN- This is noteworthy information at the meeting on the implementation of the National Single Window (NSW), ...

Thus, it can be said, besides the objective factors, the reduction in the implementation of NSW also has many subjective reasons, especially the determination of the ministries and sectors.

At the first meeting of the National Steering Committee, many opinions also frankly acknowledged the role and determination of the leaders of ministries and sectors, especially the leaders play extremely important role for the results of NSW implementation.