At a high-level conference on the new EU customs code (which came into effect in May of this year) in Brussels on Wednesday 7 September, the European and American associations of chambers of commerce EuroCommerce and AmCham, the International Air Transport Association IATA, the Express Delivery Association EEA, the World Shipping Council WSC, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services CLECAT and the Foreign Trade Association FTA argued that customs should be better integrated with economic and trade policy and implemented identically across the EU.
The conference, which was supported by the World Customs Organisation and attended by Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici, discussed ways in which customs could act as a tool for business competitiveness and facilitating trade, while supporting the EU’s security and safety.
It looked at two broad themes: a future vision for customs policy, and lessons learned from the EU customs code modernisation programme. The main conclusion was that there is scope for further improvements to be considered in the coming years, in particular, the new electronic customs systems which need to implement elements of it by 2020, the associations state. The business community, they say, needs a much more coordinated, efficient and harmonised interface with customs across the EU. 2020 is seen as a very challenging deadline. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)