EU: proposal for a new customs environment

The European Commission has proposed an action program for Union customs that aims at creating an electronic information exchange system.

The first proposal is oriented toward simplifying customs procedures: reduction and simplification of regulations, radical reform of import and export procedures, increase in requests for single authorizations valid for all EU customs administrations.

The objective of the second proposal is to make the electronic customs systems of Member States compatible, to introduce electronic risk analysis and to improve the exchange of information between the competent authorities. This will also allow a generalized use of electronic declarations and the introduction of a centralized customs clearance system.

The cost of setting up the new European electronic customs, which will allow 25 national systems to be replaced, will be shared by the Commission and Member States and will amount to around one hundred million euros a year from now until 2013. The Commission also referred to an increase of 50 billion a year in commercial exchanges, thanks to these reforms, when the new system is totally operational in 2010. According to Laslo Kovacs, European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs, this modernization will provide a saving of 2.5 billion euros a year and will benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises because of the elimination of paper documents and the development of international exchange.

(Source: Ice Brussels)