On Wednesday 25 March, representatives of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament will meet to choose the seat of the future European Customs Authority (EUCA).
Nine cities had submitted their candidatures at the end of November: Liège (Belgium), Malaga (Spain), Lille (France), Zagreb (Croatia), Rome (Italy), The Hague (Netherlands), Warsaw (Poland), Porto (Portugal) and Bucharest (Romania) (see EUROPE 13793/7). These applications were assessed by the European Commission in January.
In accordance with the procedure they have drawn up (see EUROPE 13816/21), the EU Council and Parliament will each independently select their two preferred candidates. They will then meet to announce their choices.
If a candidate appears on both shortlists, it will automatically be declared selected and no further voting will be required. If there is no overlap, a series of ballots to select a candidate will be held.
The following day, Thursday 26 March, negotiators from the two institutions will meet in trilogue to make progress on the reform of the Union Customs Code (see EUROPE 13771/6). According to our information, they will be seeking agreement on the latest provisions on infringements and penalties, the design of the ‘Trust and Check’ scheme and the timetable for implementation. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)