AEO STANDARD

The Customs Administration of the RS, which is certified in the Republic of Slovenia for performing certification according to the criteria for acquiring AEO status, awarded Authorised Economic Operator status to Mercator d.o.o.

 Mercator is a safe and reliable partner

AEO status means that Mercator has been recognised by the entire European Community as a safe and reliable partner in international trade, especially in terms of customs procedures, and that it is entitled to benefits throughout the Community. These benefits include a smaller number of physical border controls, lower customs risk assessment, priority goods processing and simpler reporting, which means that products will reach Mercator's shelves faster.

 Certificate for increased security

The European Community is introducing new strict procedures to ensure the security of international trade and to improve supply chain security. The changes will affect almost all business aspects of any company that buys, sells or transports goods in or out of the EU. With the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) regime, an accreditation programme that is valid throughout the entire European Community has been established.

 AEO certificate since 2006

With the pilot project being launched in 2006, the certificate is a new feature in the European business area. The first 11 European companies acquired the certificate last year. Mercator d.o.o. is among the first to acquire the AEO certificate. So far, only 21 Slovenian companies have acquired it, mostly from within production and logistics activities. The project with which Mercator met all the criteria for the certificate ran for a year and a half.

 AEO status to significantly shorten time

The AEO status will significantly shorten the time it takes to complete customs formalities, making the operations of the Mercator business system even more efficient (at lower cost), while the flow of goods will be faster due to shorter distribution times, allowing products to reach Mercator’s shelves much faster. This is important particularly for faster delivery of products outside EU countries, to Slovenia and to other markets where Mercator operates, considering that it will be present in seven markets of South-East Europe by the end of the year.

 Certificate for reduced prices

In the study of the project, Mercator established that acquiring the certificate would allow it to reduce transport service costs for deliveries outside the EU, reduce the costs of freight forwarding interventions, reduce stocks of goods from third countries, shorten delivery deadlines and reduce customs debt insurance by up to 50%. All this would increase competitiveness and improve the company’s business reputation.