Brussels, 24/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 23 April, the Irish Presidency of the Council and the committee on the internal market of the European Parliament (IMCO) concluded a provisional agreement on the update of the EU customs code. This update has become necessary to take account of progress in the data transmission systems used by the customs administrations of the member states and to ensure convergence. Thanks to this update, by 2020 - notwithstanding exceptional cases - it will be possible to exchange all information on customs transactions between companies and customs administrations and information electronically pooled by these administrations. This will facilitate the movement of goods and relax administrative obligations, particularly on small and medium-sized businesses. In particular, businesses with the status of “accredited economic operators” should enjoy preferential treatment with relaxed customs controls (fewer physical checks and less documentation). The agreement concluded on Tuesday has now to be formally approved by the committee of permanent representatives (Coreper) and the IMCO committee, which is expected to formulate its position on the subject in May, paving the way for a vote in plenary at the EP in June. (FG/transl.fl)