It is therefore essential that trade procedures and practices are governed by universally agreed basic principles and norms that could be applied by all participants in the transaction, irrespective of their methods of intervention and the degree of sophistication of their information management systems. There is no doubt that the use of electronic techniques for information transfer, and in particular EDI, will significantly contribute to a more efficient trade; however, it should be realized that this objective will be attained only if the basic procedures are in order in the exporting as well as the importing country.
Tools for devising efficient procedures are available in the form of standards, recommended practices, model procedures, etc. The Compendium of Trade Facilitation Recommendations includes a comprehensive list of such practical measures. Although there are no recent indications concerning the extent to which they are actually implemented in the individual countries, it is well known that most of these tools are extensively used in a large number of countries at various levels of development; they have proven their efficiency. Many of them are fundamental for the streamlining of international trade procedures; their generalized application would be a formidable step forward towards more efficient trade through better practices.