BRUNEI – AMS eyeing simplified process for cross-border trading

Deputy Permanent Secretary (Construction Industry and Development) at the Ministry of Development Hajah Siti Aidah binti Haji Mohammad with the delegates. – LYNA MOHAMAD

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THE 1^st ASEAN Building Construction Working Group Meeting (BCWG) was officially opened yesterday by Deputy Permanent Secretary (Construction Industry and Development) at the Ministry of Development (MoD) Hajah Siti Aidah binti Haji Mohammad. The three-day meeting at the Radisson Hotel is hosted by the MoD.

Hajah Siti Aidah noted that Brunei hopes to work closely with ASEAN colleagues in forging a new way forward for ASEAN in creating simplification processes of cross-border trading.

She said the elevation of the existing Taskforce Building Construction to a Product Working Group was made under the ambit of ASEAN Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ).

Hajah Siti Aidah pointed out that the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials Meeting (SEOM) had endorsed the Terms of Reference (TOR) for BCWG in January this year, before underlining the need to ensure that this be in sync with the TOR on the ASEAN Smart Cities Network being developed.

She expressed hopes the meeting will find consensus among ASEAN member states (AMS) countries and see to the finalisation of this Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The final endorsement of the MRA will be submitted to the ACCSQ Meeting for approval, and to be signed within the targetted timeframe of the end of 2019.

“I would like to reiterate the importance of the MRA in facilitating mutual recognition of test results and certification for AMS towards reducing trade barriers in the construction and building sectors,” she added.

A range of issues will be discussed at the meeting including review of the existing EN Eurocodes standards, regulations, policies and programmes at national and regional levels, and the request of the 50^th Meeting of the ACCSQ for Working Groups/Product Working Groups to consider smart cities in the scope of BCWG Terms of Reference.

“I am confident that there will be fruitful discussions that can be explored together, through the exchange of information and best practices amongst AMS.”

Twenty-six delegates comprising senior officials and members of the ASEAN BCWG Committee as well as the respective BCWG legal advisers from six ASEAN member countries are attending the event. The Brunei delegation is represented by officers from Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi) and the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC).

Officers from the Public Works Department (JKR) and National Standards Centre (PSK) also participated.

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