On Tuesday 15 January, MEPs approved by a large majority (596 votes in favour, 44 against and 57 abstentions) the draft report by Maria Grapini (S&D, Romania) on the ‘Customs’ programme for the period 2021-2027.
As a reminder, the programme also aims to help customs administrations to cope with increasing trade flows and emerging trends and technologies, such as e-commerce and blockchains (see EUROPE 12037).
The report, adopted without modification compared to the vote in committee, proposes to keep the financial envelope indicated by the European Commission, namely €842,844,000, at 2018 prices (€950 million at current prices).
MEPs also point out that the programme should not be used to cover the costs of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the Union.
“The United Kingdom’s disengagement from all existing customs systems and current customs cooperation and the expiry of its legal obligations in this area will entail additional costs that cannot be precisely estimated when this programme is drawn up”, the report stresses.
MEPs believe that the Commission should therefore consider setting aside sufficient resources to prepare for these possible costs, which should not, however, be charged to the Customs programme envelope. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)