The European Court of Auditors published, on Friday 5 May, a report on the EU’s common transit system and its ability to facilitate trade. This aims to simplify customs procedures for authorised economic operators (AEOs). According to the authors of the report, the implementation of the system, in particular the treatment of AEOs, is uneven between Member States and the Commission does not sufficiently verify compliance. The Court of Auditors examined the activities of the Commission, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands between 2019 and 2022.
It noted that some of the member countries analysed only grant the benefits of AEO status to those who play specific roles in the supply chain. For example, of the AEOs surveyed for the report, only 60% noted a reduction in customs controls, according to the Court of Auditors.
In addition, some of the criteria for granting AEO status are interpreted differently from country to country. This is the case for the criterion of the absence of serious or repeated infringements by operators in order to obtain the status, as the definition of a serious infringement varies from one country to another.
The Court of Auditors also denounces a biased system of evaluation of the system, as Member States are not obliged to send the information to the Commission. Thus, the number of countries that provided data varies between 9 and 26.
Despite the shortcomings of the common transit system, the report’s authors admit that the programme facilitates legal trade, enhances the security of value chains and protects the EU’s financial interests.
In its response to the Court of Auditors’ report, the European Commission indicated that it intends to address concerns about the evaluation system and non-compulsory contributions and to develop guidelines on the priority treatment of authorised economic operators.
To see the Court of Auditors’ report: https://aeur.eu/f/6qp (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)