Dubai – 05 Feb 2021: HE Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director General of Dubai Customs held a videoconferencing meeting with a German delegation headed by H.E. Holger Mahnicke, German Consul General to Dubai to discuss means of enhancing mutual economic cooperation and trade between Dubai and Germany, the role of Dubai Customs in supporting supply chain and the customs facilities provided.

The two sides covered major matters including the stimulus packages launched by the Federal Government and Dubai Government to support the business activity and to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. They also talked about the measures taken by Dubai Customs to back the global supply chain and the business and trade groups in Dubai.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Oliver Oehms- head of the German Emirati Joint Council for Industry & Commerce, Ms. Nadja Hundt- German Custom Liaison Officer and a number of Dubai Customs directors and heads of departments. The meeting is part of a series of regular meetings Dubai Customs organizes to develop its relationships with the foreign business sector as part of Ertibat initiative, which Dubai Customs launch to enhance ties with foreign diplomatic missions and businesses. 

Mutual trade between Germany and Dubai grew 13.2% in the last ten years (2011-2020) from Dhs21.7 billion to Dhs24.6 billion. Data for the last year revealed that imports from Germany had the lion’s share at Dhs20.6 billion, followed by re-exports at Dhs2.57 billion and exports at Dhs1.38 billion.   

In his speech, Musabih highlighted the solid relationships between Germany and the UAE in all fields, including trade, especially after the signing of the free trade agreement between the GCC countries and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). 
“Ertibat is a transparent and solid platform that enable us foster our relationships with foreign business sectors and provide them with the best services and facilities. The UAE has been ranked first in the Arab world in the post-COVID economic recovery index, and this reflects how dynamic and resilient our national economy is. The UAE ranked first globally in the number of COVID-19 tests carried out per capita at 23 million tests, and ranked second in vaccinations per capita at 2 million vaccinations so far. ” said Musabih 
Director General of Dubai Customs added that there are 300 German companies operating in Dubai. He expressed optimism about the future of the economic and trade sector in the UAE, with the UAE prepared to host major international events including EXPO 2020.

Musabih shared some of Dubai achievements during the last year with the guests despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Dubai Customs completed 16 million transactions in 2020 growing 23% compared to 2019. These included 13.8m customs declarations marking 30% growth, with 97% automatic approval without any human intervention in less than 10 minutes. Dubai Customs has also dealt with 19.8 million passengers and 13.7 million items of luggage. 

On his part, the German Consul HE Holger Mahnicke said the UAE-German relationships are solid and it’s an important strategic partner to Germany. The German Consulate in Dubai launched a customs liaison office in 2008 for more cooperation. Mahnicke highlighted the major role Dubai Customs played during the pandemic in facilitating global trade and supporting the supply chains, and the generous stimulus package offered by the federal and local governments to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on businesses. 
“We are confident Dubai will make it and quickly recover from the repercussions of the crisis, and will achieve growth in all sectors. Germany is taking part in this big event, and we hope the German pavilion will attract many visitors this year,” he said. 

Eman Badr Al Suwaidi, Director of Customs Valuation Department, who is in charge of the implementation of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program, said the AEO program applies modern and advanced procedures in compliance with the WTO requirements.

“The AEO program will help member companies with a better access to world markets,” said Al Suwaidi. “Customs transactions completed through the AEO made 61% of the total number of transactions (4.4m) in the first half of 2020, and this is especially of important ahead of the upcoming major events including EXPO 2020 and the 5th WCO Global AEO Conference, in which more than 1,500 delegates will take part,” she said. 

The IPR Department delivered a presentation on the role the department plays in raising awareness around the intellectual property rights and the recycling of counterfeit items. In 2018, 28 trademarks were recorded in the Department, 15 in 2019 and 31 in 2020. The Department recycled German counterfeit products including 1900 adidas pieces in 2018, 6450 in 2019 and 468 pieces in 2020. 

The meeting also focused on the Cross Border e-Commerce. The innovative platform utilizes block chain technology to integrate and automate operations between Customs, Free Zones, logistics, and courier companies. It is the first of its kind in the region, and it aims to help the emirate become a global hub for e-commerce, and encourage e-commerce companies set their businesses in Dubai. Online sales in the UAE are expected to grow 23% to reach Dhs100b.