02/07/2018 (Agence Europe) – On Sunday 1 July, the EU Customs Union celebrated its 50th anniversary. To mark this milestone, a number of events will be organised throughout Europe in 2018, celebrating, as European Commissioner Pierre Moscovici put it in a press release, “a tremendous and unique accomplishment”. With over 114,000 customs officers working around the clock, EU customs handled 16% of global trade in 2017. In 2016 alone, 4.6 billion illegal cigarettes, 299 tonnes of drugs, 6,256 firearms and 1,520 pieces of explosives were seized in the EU. The Commission hopes that its new Customs programme, proposed for the period from 2021 to 2027 (see EUROPE 12037), will continue in the same vein, helping customs administrations deal with growing trade flows and new trends and technologies. Visit the site dedicated to the 50 years of Customs Union: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/50-years-eu-customs-union_en (MF)