Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to report parliamentary committee draft

RemovedEXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Removed1. Introduction

RemovedOn 17 May 2023, the Commission published proposals for an ambitious and comprehensive reform of the EU Customs Union. Customs are the guardian of the EU’s external border for goods and for the security of supply chains, they supervise all goods entering or leaving the Customs Union and so form an essential part of the internal market.

RemovedThis reform was proposed as a response to the current pressures facing EU Custom’s operations, most notably an increase in trade volumes, especially in e-commerce, which is foreseen to continue to grow at a significant rate. There is also an increasing amount of EU standards that must be checked at the border, alongside geopolitical and other crises that require a strong capability in customs.

RemovedThe measures proposed by the Commission present a data-driven vision for EU Customs, aiming to simplify customs processes for business and embrace digital transformation while at the same time, giving customs authorities the tools and resources they need to properly assess what poses real risks to the EU, its citizens and its economy.

Removed2. The Draft Report

RemovedThe Rapporteur fully supports the objective of the Regulation and believes that it is essential for the EU to ensure that goods entering the EU territory are safe and fulfil European requirements while also guaranteeing that customs procedures are as efficient as possible for economic operators, reducing administrative burdens on businesses.

RemovedWith growing trade volumes, especially in e-commerce, and the increasing number of non-fiscal requirements that must be checked at the border, the Rapporteur believes that the further harmonisation under the UCC and certain new benefits like the Customs Data Hub, need to be realised sooner in order to meet these challenges. For this, the Rapporteur proposes a sooner date of entry into force for customs data hub coupled with a pilot phase to ensure it is working effectively and to avoid bottlenecks.

RemovedThe Rapporteur fully supports the objectives of the Customs Data Hub and believes that it can streamline and harmonise the EU’s customs infrastructure while also enhancing interoperability with related policy fields. To this end the Rapporteur believes that the hub presents a great opportunity to share quality data that can help combat issues with goods entering the Union and be a resource for better cooperation between relevant authorities in the EU. For this, the hub should be used to also collect additional, useful, data.

RemovedThe Rapporteur supports the establishment of an EU Customs Authority and think this is necessary to ensure the functioning of the data hub. The Rapporteur believes that some more ambition is needed here regarding its role in ensuring the implementation of existing measures in the UCC. The Rapporteur also believes that it is a good opportunity to establish an advisory forum with all affected parties, to ensure that decisions and operational tools put in place by the agency can have maximum positive effect, especially with regards the interoperability and harmonisation of systems.

RemovedThe Rapporteur believes that many of these new changes will need to be clearly described in comprehensive guidelines and best practice recommendations, especially for SME’s and that the new agency must have an important role here.

RemovedRegarding customs simplifications, the Rapporteur supports the overarching ambition put forward by the Commission but believes that the particular challenges faced by SME’s should be considered here when it comes to fulfilling the new requirements. The Rapporteur also believes that given the expected increase in volume in e-commerce, the functioning and effectiveness of the simplifications proposed here should be reviewed in years to come in light of the expected pressures on authorities linked to the sheer volume of goods.