Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
References to and use of exchanges of customs-related information at international level is not new for the European Union (‘Union’) and its Member States. However, they were for very specific purposes and scattered in several pieces of legislation. They did not include ‘systematic’ or ‘automatic’ exchanges being required for an efficient risk management and effective customs controls. The insertion in the proposal for the reform of the Union Customs Code (‘UCC’), of an Article on the exchange of data with third countries for customs cooperation purposes, in parallel with the introduction of related provisions and enabling clauses in the Union (customs or free trade agreements, are the most recent follow up to the hard and patient work undertaken on the subject for almost twenty years. This is happening at the right time to address new challenges arising for customs from international trade flows, showing the double increase of volumes of consignments (especially small ones under e-commerce) to deal with, and of legislations (especially those establishing prohibitions and restrictions) to apply and enforce at external borders. This article describes how the proposal regulates the exchange of data with third countries and elaborates on its purpose, the actors involved, the required legal framework and additional conditions to fulfil, the data exchanged, and the organization of an exchange at Union or at Member State level.
Jean-Michel Grave (Sat,) studied this question.