Brussels, 23/01/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has suggested to the Fifteen that a mandate be negotiated with the United States on the establishment of mutually acceptable conditions for customs control of goods. The project, which mainly covers container transport, comes in addition to the anti-terrorist measures taken by the United States since 11 September 2001, with a view to integrating security controls into the usual customs controls before goods leave the territory. Commenting on the mandate proposed on Friday, Frits Bolkestein stressed that "the Commission fully shares the United States' concerns and wants to integrate the United States' preliminary unilateral measures (Ed. Initiative on container security) into a set of commonly agreed actions which balance security needs with trade facilitation". It considers that a pan-European approach for cooperation with the United States would be more effective in facing the security problems than the bilateral approach followed so far by Washington, which could cause trade deflection and distort competition between the European ports, a Commission spokesperson said. He recalled that four member States that subscribed to the American initiative are being prosecuted for infringement of the transatlantic customs agreements and of Article 10 of the Union Treaty (DK, F, B, NL, UK, I, E), and that proceedings have been initiated for three others. The other aim of negotiation is to ensure that these strengthened security agreements do not constitute an obstacle to transatlantic trade, and to harmonise control norms for US and European operators, he added.
The proposal provides for the Council to entrust the Commission with a brief for negotiating an amendment to the customs cooperation agreement concluded with the United States in 1997, the idea being to guarantee better coordination of controls, especially in the following areas: - the definition of key information for the identification of high-risk consignments and on how to collect and exchange it between competent authorities so as to ensure the effective application of risk management techniques; - the establishment of common definitions for controls and agreement on how these definitions could be used to identify high-risk movement of goods; - the coordination of positions to be taken on these issues in multilateral discussions; - and the development of a common approach to the carrying out of practical actions in this domain in conformity with international commitments. These adjustments would strengthen security while facilitating legitimate trade, in respect of international commitments and the principle of reciprocity. Another result would be harmonisation of the levels and standards of control for EU and US operators, a Commission press release states. It goes on to say: "The amendment to the existing agreement would supersede the bilateral declarations of principle and bilateral agreements concluded between EU Member States and the US insofar as those arrangements address matters which are the exclusive competence of the EU".