Section II: Stages of the mutual recognition process

For the EU, mutual recognition requires the following steps:

• Formal commitment to establish mutual recognition
• Comparison of legislation.
• Evaluation of the implementation of the relevant programmes and exchange of best practices, with on-site visits by both parties (see section 6.VII of these Guidelines, "Recommendations for conducting an audit or supervision visit to an AEO of an EU Member State").
• Agreement on the text of the ARM. Typically, the MRA text stipulates the compatibility of the two AEO programs and lists as precisely as possible the mutual benefits to be granted. The text contains data subject to automatic data exchange and data protection regulations. It also contains procedural rules, including those relating to the unilateral suspension of benefits.
• Electronic data interchange system.