World Customs Organization

The World Customs Organization ( WCO), officially Organisation Mondiale of Customs (OMD ) or World Customs Organization (WCO ) is an international organization based in Brussels (Belgium ), which specializes to simplify customs formalities between international trading partners.

The World Customs Organization was founded on January 26, 1953 under the name "Brussels Zollrat ". The WCO currently belong to 179 national customs administrations. In addition to the zuvördersten pursuit of harmonization of international trade, it has become the WCO set a goal to combat cross-border crime.

The World Customs Organization collaborates among others with the European Union, the United Nations and Interpol.

Its current Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya is the Japanese.

In each case, on January 26 of the year of the World Customs Day is celebrated as a day of action.