Next event: Commission response to text adopted in plenary 2017/09/26 more...
- Results of vote in Parliament 2017/05/16
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading 2017/05/16
- End of procedure in Parliament 2017/05/16
- Debate in Parliament 2017/05/15
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading 2017/04/07
- Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading 2017/03/21
- Amendments tabled in committee 2017/02/03
Progress: Procedure completed
Role | Committee | Rapporteur | Shadows |
---|---|---|---|
Lead | INTA | BEGHIN Tiziana ( EFDD) | BENDTSEN Bendt ( PPE), RODRÍGUEZ-PIÑERO Inma ( S&D), MCCLARKIN Emma ( ECR), DE SARNEZ Marielle ( ALDE), MINEUR Anne-Marie ( GUE/NGL), BUCHNER Klaus ( Verts/ALE) |
Committee Opinion | ITRE | ||
Committee Opinion | EMPL | ||
Committee Opinion | CONT | ALI Nedzhmi ( ALDE) | Zigmantas BALČYTIS ( S&D), Dennis de JONG ( GUE/NGL) |
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54
Legal Basis:
RoP 54Events
The European Parliament adopted by 468 votes to 89, with 82 abstentions, a resolution on the evaluation of external aspects of the customs performance and management as a tool to facilitate trade and fight illicit trade.
Members noted that the Customs Union is a basic pillar of the European Union and of the largest trading blocs in the world and that the implementation of the Union Customs Code is essential for the safeguarding of EU own resources, notably customs duties, and national tax interests.
Cooperation with Member States : Parliament called on the Commission to work closely with the Member States to ensure a coordinated, uniform and efficient implementation of the new system set by the Union Customs Code. It stressed the need to address existing gaps in the control systems, develop further customs simplifications and reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders, while ensuring at the same time appropriate, effective, efficient and harmonised controls at EU borders.
The resolution emphasised the importance of completing the work of harmonising controls at all points of entry into the Customs Union.
Purpose of the controls : according to Members, effective customs controls must guarantee security, safety, the respect of environmental requirements and health regulations and EU economic interests . Particular effort should be made as regards: (i) intellectual property rights and the fight against illicit trade; (ii) terrorism; (iii) money laundering; (iv) wildlife trafficking; (v) tax evasion; (vi) drug and tobacco trafficking and falsified medicines ,as well as (vii) combating all forms of unfair competition that European firms which comply with EU standards may face. The Commission is called upon to pursue greater collaboration with the private sector in identifying fraudulent operators.
IT systems : insufficient financing to upgrade the existing IT systems and develop the required new systems is a major issue hampering progress, most notably in relation to the new Import Control System.
The resolution stressed the importance of interconnected IT systems and the need to use electronic exchanges to access data on reliable and legal trade and make it available through channels other than customs declarations, for example through international mutual exchange programmes such as the AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) programme or the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) project. Members recalled that the development of the required IT systems needs sufficient financing and insisted on the need to advance from the current “less paper” customs environment to one that is “paper-free”.
The Commission is called on, inter alia, to:
cooperate with customs, border agencies on the ground and stakeholders within the EU, as well as with its trade partners, in the area of data sharing, in particular as regards recognition of custom controls, trusted trade partners and mitigation strategies for dismantling illicit trade networks; analyse the problem of seeking the most favourable customs controls , particularly with regard to customs clearance, inspections, sanctions and controls, and assess their impact on trade, tax revenues and customs duties; work closely with the Member States, the OECD and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in reducing the existing gaps in the customs control systems by ensuring that illicit trade, counterfeiting and fraud are tackled using more systematically coordinated risk-based controls based on harmonised criteria for inspections; work further with the Member States on sharing best practices on customs procedures and VAT; better develop an accurate cost-benefit analysis of the implications of harmonisation of the enforcement of criminal sanctions in place in the Member States to combat illicit trade activities; identify where the risks lie on specific trade routes and protecting the citizens and legitimate businesses by preventing illegal products from entering the EU; develop and support joint training opportunities for customs agents in the Member States; reinforce its cooperation in customs matters with its main trading partners and their customs authorities, as well as to engage in a dialogue with the main originating countries of counterfeit goods; coordinate in a better way the defence of geographical indication on agri-food products, within the Commission itself and also with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as a genuine value added on external markets.
Counterfeit : certain trade partners continue to ship the bulk of the illegal or counterfeited products entering the Union. China and Hong Kong are responsible for over EUR 300 million and EUR 100 million respectively. Belarus in 2015 alone caused a fiscal loss to the EU of EUR 1 billion, exporting products that totally circumvented VAT rules and health regulation.
Parliament noted that the efficiency of customs procedures is crucial for the effective and expedient law enforcement with regard to the counterfeiting and smuggling of excisable goods entering the EU. It also insisted that the quality and performance of customs controls on the transit of goods, particularly for shipment and transport operations at ports and borders, is of the first importance and must be improved.
The Commission is called upon to periodically report to the responsible committees of the European Parliament on the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the EU strategy and action plan for customs risk management.
The Committee on International Trade adopted the own-initiative report by Tiziana BEGHIN (EFDD, IT) on the evaluation of external aspects of the customs performance and management as a tool to facilitate trade and fight illicit trade.
The report noted that the Customs Union is a basic pillar of the European Union and of the largest trading blocs in the world and that the implementation of the Union Customs Code is essential for the safeguarding of EU own resources, notably customs duties, and national tax interests.
Cooperation with Member States : Members called on the Commission to work closely with the Member States to ensure a coordinated, uniform and efficient implementation of the new system set by the Union Customs Code. They stressed the need to address existing gaps in the control systems, develop further customs simplifications and reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders, while ensuring at the same time appropriate, effective, efficient and harmonised controls at EU borders.
Purpose of the controls : according to the report, effective customs controls must guarantee security, safety, the respect of environmental requirements and health regulations and EU economic interests . Particular effort should be made as regards: (i) intellectual property rights and the fight against illicit trade; (ii) terrorism; (iii) money laundering; (iv) wildlife trafficking; (v) tax evasion; (vi) drug and tobacco trafficking and falsified medicines ,as well as (vii) combating all forms of unfair competition that European firms which comply with EU standards may face.
IT systems : Members stressed the importance of interconnected IT systems and the need to use electronic exchanges to access data on reliable and legal trade and make it available through channels other than customs declarations, for example through international mutual exchange programmes such as the AEO (Authorised Economic Operator) programme or the Smart and Secure Trade Lanes (SSTL) project. They insisted on the need to advance from the current “less paper” customs environment to one that is “paper-free”.
The Commission is called on, inter alia , to:
cooperate with customs, border agencies on the ground and stakeholders within the EU, as well as with its trade partners, in the area of data sharing , in particular as regards recognition of custom controls, trusted trade partners and mitigation strategies for dismantling illicit trade networks; analyse the problem of seeking the most favourable customs controls , particularly with regard to customs clearance, inspections, sanctions and controls, and assess their impact on trade, tax revenues and customs duties; work closely with the Member States, the OECD and the World Customs Organisation (WCO) in reducing the existing gaps in the customs control systems by ensuring that illicit trade, counterfeiting and fraud are tackled using more systematically coordinated risk-based controls based on harmonised criteria for inspections; ensure that the progressive implementation of the Union Customs Code establishes a level playing field throughout the Union; work further with the Member States on sharing best practices on customs procedures and VAT; better develop an accurate cost-benefit analysis of the implications of harmonisation of the enforcement of criminal sanctions in place in the Member States to combat illicit trade activities; develop and support joint training opportunities for customs agents in the Member States; reinforce its cooperation in customs matters with its main trading partners and their customs authorities, as well as to engage in a dialogue with the main originating countries of counterfeit goods; coordinate in a better way the defence of geographical indication on agri-food products, within the Commission itself and also with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), as a genuine value added on external markets.
The report noted that the efficiency of customs procedures is crucial not only for trade facilitation, but also for effective and expedient law enforcement with regard to the counterfeiting and smuggling of excisable goods entering the EU. It also insisted that the quality and performance of customs controls on the transit of goods, particularly for shipment and transport operations at ports and borders, is of the first importance and must be improved.
The Commission is called upon to periodically report to the responsible committees of the European Parliament on the monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the EU strategy and action plan for customs risk management.
Documents
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2017)511
- Results of vote in Parliament: Results of vote in Parliament
- Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T8-0208/2017
- Debate in Parliament: Debate in Parliament
- Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A8-0162/2017
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE599.600
- Committee draft report: PE595.633
- Committee opinion: PE589.219
- Committee opinion: PE589.219
- Committee draft report: PE595.633
- Amendments tabled in committee: PE599.600
- Commission response to text adopted in plenary: SP(2017)511
Activities
Amendments | Dossier |
31 |
2016/2075(INI)
2016/10/17
CONT
31 amendments...
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas networks of illicit activities have a detrimental impact on economies of the EU Member States in terms of growth, jobs, foreign investment, integrity of markets, trade and loss of customs income, the latter loss being borne in the end by the European taxpayer;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Believes that trade facilitation should include common and standardised rules on the methods, transparency, integrity and accountability of customs procedures;
Amendment 11 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Is of the opinion that the quality and performance of customs controls on the transit of goods, particularly for shipment and transport operations at ports and borders, is of the first importance; regrets that there is currently a factual gap in the type of controls within the Union that favours some access routes, in particular ports, to the detriment of others, where the checks carried out are more stringent; considers it necessary to ensure that there are homogeneous and standardised control techniques among Member States for filtering at ports and borders by promoting modern, risk management-based control strategies;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Is of the opinion that the quality and performance of customs controls on the transit of goods, particularly for shipment and transport operations at ports and borders, is of the first importance and must be improved; considers it necessary to ensure that there are homogeneous control techniques among Member States for filtering at ports and borders by promoting modern, risk management-based control strategies;
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 4 4. Is of the opinion that the quality and performance of customs controls on the transit of goods, particularly for shipment and transport operations at ports and borders, is of the first importance; considers it necessary to ensure that there are homogeneous control techniques among Member States for filtering at ports and borders by promoting modern, technologically advanced and risk management-based control strategies;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Considers that Member States should concentrate customs controls and, to the extent possible, other relevant border controls, on high-risk consignments that are selected
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 5. Considers that Member States should concentrate customs controls and, to the extent possible, other relevant border controls, on high-risk consignments that are selected on a random basis using common selectivity criteria, including those relating to the nature and description of the goods, country of origin, country from which the goods were shipped, value of the goods, regulatory compliance record of traders and means of transport;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 5 a (new) 5a. Believes that the fight against the smuggling of counterfeit goods requires special measures and calls on Member States to provide for a common protocol for controls to combat such abuses;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Notes that customs administration and modernisation are costly; believes that one of the key objectives of reforms of customs procedures and operations should be achieving higher efficiency which would lead to cost reductions and savings in the long run;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 a (new) 6a. Feels that better coordination is needed between OLAF, customs authorities and market surveillance authorities in order not only to combat counterfeiting, but also to curb the trade in illegal products that infringe intellectual property laws in the EU;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 b (new) 6b. Stresses OLAF's role in investigating the evasion of import duties (including conventional, anti-dumping and countervailing duties) on all types of commodities and goods – especially involving: false declarations of origin (in both preferential and non-preferential regimes) and undervaluation and wrong description of goods; calls on OLAF to play a more active role in the coordination of related investigations by national customs services of EU Member States and other partners both inside and outside the EU;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion Recital B B. whereas networks of illicit activities have a detrimental impact on economies in terms of growth, jobs, foreign investment, integrity of markets, competition, trade and loss of customs income, the latter loss being borne in the end by the European taxpayer;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 6 c (new) 6c. Points out that regular Joint Customs Operations play a vital role in safeguarding EU public finances by identifying where the risks lie on specific trade routes, and protecting the citizens and legitimate businesses by preventing illegal products from entering the EU; calls on OLAF to step up providing support for the customs authorities of EU countries as well as some non-EU countries to carry out more joint customs operations by means of its technical infrastructure, IT and communications tools, and strategic analysis, administrative and financial support, in order to improve the effectiveness of customs services in conducting targeted checks at European level;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 7 7. Considers
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 8 8. Believes that the Commission
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 10. Supports the inclusion of anti-fraud clauses in trade and investment agreements so as to protect the financial interests of the Union, encompassing tax fraud and tax avoidance and tax evasion, trade-based corruption and money laundering; invites the Union, in addition, to make more use in all future trade agreements of precautionary and safeguard measures, such as the suspension of preferences under an anti-fraud clause or the management of administrative error clauses introduced into FTAs;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 10 a (new) 10a. Stresses the need to present a proposal containing harmonised rules concerning the definition of criminal offences and sanctions in cases of organized and transnational crime in order to prevent and combat illegal activities effectively;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 11. Believes, furthermore, that it is crucial t
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 11 11. Believes, furthermore, that it is crucial that enterprises in the EU should have access to rapid anti-dumping procedures, bearing in mind the potential losses to both national budgets and the EU
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Calls for closer customs cooperation, both within the Union and with third countries,
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 12. Calls for closer customs cooperation, both within the Union and with third countries, with a view to more efficiently combating illicit trade at the EU’s borders and helping policymakers in the mapping of market and international supply chain vulnerabilities, as well as the tracking and elimination of interconnections between actors
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 12 a (new) 12a. Notes that significant results have been achieved and large amounts of contraband goods seized in the course of a number of joint customs operations which were carried out thanks to cooperation between OLAF, the Member States and various third countries’ services; calls for such operations to be continued;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion Recital C C. whereas illicit trade is a primary concern for business and poses a significant threat with growing global risks, in terms of transparency, integrity and financial value, mirroring the use of global trade schemes and supply chains and measures should therefore be taken to combat this problem directly;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 13 13. Points out, furthermore, the need for an effective sharing of statistical information related to EU import controls in order to detect gaps in the data required to develop mitigation strategies for dismantling illicit trade networks, and to address the source of the problem by preventing the import of IPR-infringing goods
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 14 14. Acknowledges that effective enforcement of IPRs is an overarching objective, to be steadily pursued by customs authorities for the benefit of the EU single market and EU citizens and through appropriate cooperation with trade partners in the context of FTAs, so as to tackle IPR infringements in international supply chains in such areas as counterfeiting (trademark infringements), piracy (copyright infringements), smuggling of sensitive products such as pharmaceuticals or highly taxed goods, geographical indications and marking of origin, shipping and selling of counterfeit products, and tax evasion;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion Recital C a (new) Ca. whereas the illicit trade in tobacco products, and in particular the transport of contraband and counterfeit cigarettes, results each year in the Member States incurring losses of more than EUR 10 billion in revenues (customs, VAT and excise duties);
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion Recital D D. whereas counterfeiting, the illegal arms trade and drug trafficking generate
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion Recital D a (new) Da. whereas the increasing incidence of smuggling, trafficking and other forms of illegal and illicit trade not only have an impact on Member States’ collection of customs duties and on the EU budget, but are also strongly associated with organised international crime, threats to consumers and negative effects on the functioning of the single market, which undermine a level playing field for all competing companies, particularly SMEs;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Notes that the efficiency of customs procedures is crucial not only for trade facilitation, but also for law enforcement in terms of fighting the counterfeiting and smuggling of excisable goods entering the EU and combating the recycling of income from unlawful activities; considers that customs services are at the crossroads between secured movement of goods protecting consumers within the EU and the implementation of the provisions of trade agreements;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 2 2. Notes that the efficiency of customs procedures is crucial not only for trade facilitation, but also for
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion Paragraph 3 3. Believes that trade facilitation should include rules on the transparency, integrity and accountability of customs procedures with which all Member States must comply;
source: 592.244
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