6th March 2026
The World Customs Organization (WCO) today released its “Guide to the ECCAS Rules of Origin”, aimed at supporting customs administrations and economic operators in implementing revised rules adopted in October 2024 by the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
The updated rules apply within the ECCAS Free Trade Area, launched in January 2004 to promote trade and economic integration among member states. On average, ECCAS countries have reduced 34 per cent of tariff lines on intra-community trade to zero.
According to the WCO, the revision of the Community’s rules of origin was driven by the need for simplification. The changes are intended to strengthen trust among customs administrations in verifying and granting community origin status, as well as to enhance confidence in the ability of trade operators to comply with the rules.
Another key objective was to harmonize ECCAS rules with those of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), reflecting the overlapping membership of the two regional groupings.
The Guide was developed under the EU–WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme in cooperation with the ECCAS Secretariat. The WCO described it as a critical tool to ensure consistent understanding, implementation and application of the revised ECCAS Rules of Origin across the region.