The Heads of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) agreed in Brussels this week to further strengthen co-operation between the two organisations aimed at facilitating free and secure global trade.

With more than 43 million parcels crossing international borders each year, customs is a vital link in the international mail processing chain. Add to this the large number of domestic parcels sent through the postal network and the fi gure rises to 6 billion a year with volumes still growing as a result of e-commerce.

The UPU and WCO have agreed to work more closely in modernizing postal and customs processes, particularly to meet increased demands for the electronic transfer of customs information.