Political decision, leadership for foreign trade

There are at least five essential factors to ensure the optimal functioning of a VUCE, as indicated in the document Ventanilla Única de Comercio Exterior: requisitos para una implementación exitosa en América Latina(Single Window for Foreign Trade: requirements for a successful implementation in Latin America): 

• Political decision at the highest level of government
• A clear definition of the VUCE's operating model
• A  sound regulatory and legal framework
• Coordination between the actors and interested parties
• An adequate technical and technological solution 

The political decision stands out as the center of the process to build a successful VUCE, and it is associated with the government's conviction regarding the importance of foreign trade activities on economic performance and with the strong commitment to facilitate and increase the flexibility of trade operations.  This means: transform the traditional supervision, control, and management of foreign trade, to introduce significant changes in the regulations and functions of the different relevant entities in the process. 

This will is also an expression of the public administration's certainty that all this effort is justified as a result of the gains in the competitiveness of the country's exports. 

To achieve the objective requires a functional leadership that facilitates cooperation and negotiations between the entities and participating actors. 

The challenge to implement an effective VUCE is to achieve a balance between maintaining the regulatory capacity of the public administration, while at the same time achieving efficiency and flexibility in the commercial process.