The Council of the European Union (EU) on Monday adopted a common position on a draft regulation, which is aimed at modernizing the current customs code for the 27-member bloc.
The decision, made at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, followed a political agreement reached by the EU Council on June 25.It will be forwarded to the European Parliament for a second reading under the co-decision procedure.
The draft regulation, aimed at implementing the Lisbon program on growth and creation of jobs in the EU, is intended to replace the current customs code, which dates back to 1992, in order to adapt EU customs to changes in the international trade environment.
The future code addresses issues concerning the requirements of an electronic environment, the simplification of rules and the changing nature of the tasks performed by the customs authorities.
The new regulation will simplify legislation and administration procedures both from the point of view of customs authorities and traders, notably by simplifying the structure and providing for more coherent terminology with fewer provisions and simpler rules, providing for radical reform of customs import and export procedures to reduce their number and make it easier to keep track of goods, rationalizing the customs guarantee system, extending the use of single authorizations, and implementing the "e-Government" initiative in the area of customs.
Meanwhile, the new regulation abolishes the possibility to restrict the right to make customs declarations exclusively to customs representatives established in the member state concerned, as such restriction is incompatible with the internal market.
A policy of "centralized clearance" will also be introduced as a facilitation that allows an importer or exporter to lodge his customs declarations in electronic form from his premises to the customs office where he is established, irrespective of the place where the goods are entering into or leaving the customs territory of the EU.
Source:Xinhua
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