Brussels, 19/05/2004 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday, the "Competitiveness" Council reached political agreement by qualified majority on the new customs code, despite votes against by Greece, Italy, Portugal, Sweden and Malta. The aim of this code is to simplify procedures whilst ensuring the security of the Union's external borders. Discussions centred round the status of "authorised economic operators", to benefit from more lenient checks. The Presidency compromise, which the Council...