2021-2027 EU Customs programme gains political backing
Parliament and Council negotiators reached a provisional agreement on the Customs programme to support the development and operation of the European electronic customs system.
The 950 million EUR (in current prices) EU Customs programme is vital to protect the EU from unfair and illegal trade, whilst facilitating legitimate business activity. It is the main tool for customs policy financed by the long-term 2021-2027 EU budget (multi-annual financial framework) and is designed to improve cooperation and build IT capacity in order to ease trade.
The electronic systems used by European customs authorities are necessary to guarantee EU-wide cooperation, implement customs rules, and innovate the EU’s customs policy. The development and operation of these systems is essential in order to have high levels of security, for maintenance purposes and to guarantee quality as well as to support modernisation.
The agreement reached makes the EU’s customs system more transparent and provides a legal oversight of EU customs policy, while enabling smooth operational decision-making in the development of IT projects.
Quotes
''Customs are essential for the proper functioning of the internal market and for ensuring the free movement of goods within it. The agreed Customs programme focuses on supporting the IT capacity building, facilitating trade and ensuring that funds dedicated to this program are not used for other policy areas outside the program. The Programme will greatly improve the safe operation and fair competition in the internal market,” said Rapporteur Maria Grapini (S&D, RO).
"The Customs Programme supports Member States' customs authorities to cooperate more closely, to implement new regulations and to introduce electronic systems. By this, it plays a major role in making sure that products entering the single market comply with our standards and regulations. After the Council's decision on the next Multiannual Framework we are overly happy that the trilogue today found a political agreement to support upholding high product standards in the internal market," said Chair of Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee Anna Cavazzini (Greens/EFA, DE) after the trilogue.
Background
The EU is the world’s largest trading block and accounts for 15% of global trade. The total statistical value of the EU trade flow in 2017 (EU28) was 3.5 trillion EUR – equivalent to more than 10 billion EUR a day. 5.6 million businesses are registered by customs authorities to trade goods in and out of the EU and this number continues to rise. In order to manage this volume of international trade in 2017, almost 332 million customs declarations were handled by more than 2 100 EU customs offices, working 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with more than 99% of the declarations processed electronically. Electronic systems are therefore integral to the functioning of the customs union.
The development, maintenance and upgrade of common components – as well as the coordination of electronic customs systems across member states (more than 30 systems, databases and networks) – are financed exclusively through the Customs programme.
Contacts:
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Inga HÖGLUND
Press Officer