Negotiators from the European Parliament and the German Presidency of the EU Council reached a provisional agreement on Tuesday 15 December on the Customs programme for the 2021-2027 period in order to support the development of electronic systems used by European customs authorities (see EUROPE 12037/15).
The programme furthermore aims to assist customs administrations in the EU to cope with increasing trade flows and emerging trends and technologies, such as e-commerce and blockchain.
The agreement between the institutions maintains the financial envelope proposed by the European Commission, i.e. €950 million in current prices, which is almost twice the budget that had been provided for during the 2014-2020 period.
The agreement also makes the EU customs system more transparent and ensures legal control of EU customs policy, while allowing smooth operational decision-making in the development of IT projects, says a European Parliament press release.
The agreement now has to be validated within both institutions. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)