The Export Control Organisation is a division of the Europe and World Trade Directorate which, in turn, is a section of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The principal function of the Export Control Organisation is to process applications for licences to export strategic goods from the UK. The ECO also supervises Trade Controls (introduced by the Export Control Act 2002) under which trading (trafficking and brokering) of goods from one overseas destination to another has been made a licensable activity, e.g., licensing the transfer of Military Goods. In case of any transaction between more than two countries which includes export of goods from UK, a licence would be required to effect the transaction between all the concerned nations. Even after being granted a UK Trade Licence, the exporters must obtain permission of the authorities of the appropriate countries to remove or receive goods from or to that nation as necessary. Apart from the core task of processing licence applications ECO provides assistance for exporters, by way of a Helpline, a website, a DVD and video, and programmes of seminars and workshops; runs a Rating Service which advises exporters on the requirement of licence in a particular case; records figures about licensing applications for the Government's annual report on strategic export controls; participates in the exercise of the international arms control regimes, updates the control lists, develops new "open general" licences and contributes to government export licensing policy; etc.
