BETA


2018/2109(INI) Strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU customs union and its governance

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead IMCO ROZIÈRE Virginie (icon: S&D S&D) SZEJNFELD Adam (icon: PPE PPE), DALTON Daniel (icon: ECR ECR), SELIMOVIC Jasenko (icon: ALDE ALDE), IWASZKIEWICZ Robert Jarosław (icon: EFDD EFDD)
Committee Opinion INTA DANTI Nicola (icon: S&D S&D) Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ (icon: PPE PPE), Joachim STARBATTY (icon: ECR ECR)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2019/07/17
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2019/02/14
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2019/02/14
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2019/02/14
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 492 votes to 33, with 17 abstentions, a resolution on strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU Customs Union and its governance.

Members recalled that the Customs Union, which is 50 years old this year, is a cornerstone of the EU and is one of the world’s largest trading blocs. EU imports and exports totalled EUR 3 700 billion in 2017 and customs duties collected make up 15 % of the EU budget.

The implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) is essential to safeguard EU own resources, in particular customs duties, and national fiscal interests, but also to safeguard European consumers and fair competition in the internal market.

Need for an efficient Customs Union

Parliament stressed that a fully functional Customs Union is essential to guarantee the credibility and strength of the EU and its negotiating position for the conclusion of new trade agreements. An efficient EU Customs Union helps to facilitate legal trade and to reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders.

The resolution stressed the importance of:

- ensuring effective controls - in particular by encouraging cooperation with customs authorities in third countries - and to avoid any unjustified obstacles to legal trade;

- addressing the current divergences between the levels of control and their quality, as well as between customs procedures and sanctions policies at the points of entry into the Customs Union;

- establishing uniform customs procedures within the Union based on a reformed IT infrastructure;

- intensifying work on the creation of an integrated one-stop European electronic environment for customs.

Digitisation of customs procedures

Parliament called on the Commission and the Member States to develop a more efficient, cost-effective and streamlined approach to the management of IT systems for customs authorities. Given the delays in this area, it called for a more precise and realistic estimate of the time and resources that will be needed, and of the scope of the individual IT projects that will help to digitise customs procedures.

Deploring the fact that the implementation of the new IT systems for the Customs Union has suffered a series of delays, resulting in the request by the Commission to Parliament and the Council for an extension of the transitional period beyond the deadline of 2020 laid down in the UCC, the Commission and the Council must, as a matter of the utmost priority, ensure that the customs code is implemented and customs procedures digitised within the new deadline.

The Commission is called on to:

- update the timetable of its UCC work programme to take account of the extension to the transitional period proposed by it;

- update its multiannual strategic plan by sequencing projects throughout the transition period so as to avoid, as far as possible, the concentration of deployments at the end of the period, and by establishing binding milestones, including for Member States;

- not to modify the statutory and technical specifications that have now been adopted for the 17 IT tools related to the Customs Code with major implications in terms of financial and human resources;

- continuously evaluate the Customs 2020 programme and address the weaknesses identified;

- further develop a tool on the performance of the Customs Union that will eventually allow its performance to be systematically assessed against its strategic objectives in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and uniformity.

Governance, reports and funding for the Customs programme

Parliament called on the Commission and Member States to step up their efforts and expand the resources deployed so as to ensure full application of the customs code adopted in 2013 and of uniform customs procedures throughout the EU. It called on the Commission, in that connection, to submit an action plan that might usefully be based on a peer review of customs practices, on the exchange of good practices, on stepped-up cooperation between customs services and on a sufficiently resourced training programme.

The Commission and the Member States are called on to step up their efforts to better cope with the increase in the volume of low-value goods imported into the Union, which increases each year from 10% to 15%.

Taking note of the funding effort made under the EU budget, increasing the allocation for the next Customs programme for 2021-2027 to EUR 842 844 000 at 2018 prices, Member States were called on to provide the necessary human and financial resources for deployment of the national components, on which the introduction of the European electronic customs system is dependent.

The Commission is called on to propose a more effective governance structure for the conduct of customs IT projects and their updates.

Brexit

Recalling that the United Kingdom will become a third country after withdrawal from the EU, thus altering the EU’s external borders, the Brexit process should not impact negatively on the development and governance of EU Customs. Members stressed that, following the withdrawal of the UK there must be no loopholes in the customs system – including at the external borders of the EU – that would pave the way for illicit trade or the evasion of public-law debts provided for under EU law.

Documents
2019/02/14
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2019/02/04
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the own-initiative report by Virginie ROZIÈRE (S&D, FR) on strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU Customs Union and its governance.

The report noted that the Customs Union, which is 50 years old this year, is a cornerstone of the EU and is one of the world’s largest trading blocs. EU imports and exports totalled EUR 3 700 billion in 2017 and customs duties collected make up 15 % of the EU budget.

The implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) is essential to safeguard EU own resources, in particular customs duties, and national fiscal interests, but also to safeguard European consumers and fair competition in the internal market.

Generalities

Members stressed that a fully functional Customs Union is essential to guarantee the credibility and strength of the EU and its negotiating position for the conclusion of new trade agreements. An efficient EU Customs Union helps to facilitate legal trade and to reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders.

The report noted that the current divergences in the level and quality of controls, customs procedures and sanctions policies at the EU’s points of entry into the Customs Union often result in distortion of trade flows, feeding the problem of ‘forum shopping’ and putting at risk the integrity of the single market. In this context, Members strongly requested that the Commission and the Member States address this issue.

Members also encouraged the Commission to step up its efforts to create an integrated EU customs one-stop shop that would help businesses submit all the necessary information and documents in one place and are thus able to meet all the regulatory requirements for the import, export and transit of goods.

Digitisation of customs procedures

Members called on the Commission and the Member States to develop a more efficient, cost-effective and streamlined approach to the management of IT systems for customs authorities. Given the delays in this area, they called for a more precise and realistic estimate of the time and resources that will be needed, and of the scope of the individual IT projects that will help to digitise customs procedures.

Deploring the fact that the implementation of the new IT systems for the Customs Union has suffered a series of delays, resulting in the request by the Commission to Parliament and the Council for an extension of the transitional period beyond the deadline of 2020 laid down in the UCC, the Commission and the Council must, as a matter of the utmost priority, ensure that the customs code is implemented and customs procedures digitised within the new deadline.

The Commission is called on to:

- update its multiannual strategic plan by sequencing projects throughout the transition period so as to avoid the concentration of deployments at the end of the period, and by establishing binding milestones, including for Member States;

- report regularly and transparently on the conduct of the multiannual strategic work plan and on the setting-up of the customs electronic systems, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the previous programming, and to inform about any possible future delays while not doing so at a moment’s notice or without proper corrective actions;

- continuously evaluate the Customs 2020 programme and to respond to the shortcomings identified, in particular the under-utilisation of the teams of experts set up under this programme, and to make it possible to increase cooperation between customs services.

Governance, reports and funding for the Customs programme

Members called on the Commission and Member States to step up their efforts and expand the resources deployed so as to ensure full application of the customs code adopted in 2013 and of uniform customs procedures throughout the EU. They called on the Commission, in that connection, to submit an action plan that might usefully be based on a peer review of customs practices, on the exchange of good practices, on stepped-up cooperation between customs services and on a sufficiently resourced training programme.

Taking note of the funding effort made under the EU budget, increasing the allocation for the next Customs programme for 2021-2027 to EUR 842 844 000 at 2018 prices, Member States were called on to provide the necessary human and financial resources for deployment of the national components, on which the introduction of the European electronic customs system is dependent.

The Commission is called on to propose a more effective governance structure for the conduct of customs IT projects and their updates.

Members stressed that the ‘Customs 2021-2027’ programme, by supporting Member States’ customs authorities, will help not only to increase EU budget revenues, but also to guarantee product safety, the protection of European consumers and a level playing field for EU businesses.

Brexit

Recalling that the United Kingdom will become a third country after withdrawal from the EU, thus altering the EU’s external borders, the Brexit process should not impact negatively on the development and governance of EU Customs. Members stressed that, following the withdrawal of the UK there must be no loopholes in the customs system – including at the external borders of the EU – that would pave the way for illicit trade or the evasion of public-law debts provided for under EU law.

Documents
2019/01/29
   EP - Vote in committee
2019/01/28
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2018/11/30
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2018/10/18
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2018/06/19
   EP - ROZIÈRE Virginie (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in IMCO
2018/06/14
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2018/05/09
   EP - DANTI Nicola (S&D) appointed as rapporteur in INTA

Documents

Activities

Votes

A8-0059/2019 - Virginie Rozière - Résolution 14/02/2019 12:33:11.000 #

2019/02/14 Outcome: +: 492, -: 33, 0: 17
DE IT FR ES PL RO GB AT NL CZ BE BG FI PT SE HR DK SK HU LT SI LV IE LU MT EE EL
Total
66
48
61
37
38
23
51
18
24
18
16
14
12
18
11
10
10
10
9
8
8
7
7
5
5
4
3
icon: PPE PPE
157

United Kingdom PPE

For (1)

1

Belgium PPE

For (1)

1

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Ireland PPE

3

Luxembourg PPE

2

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1
icon: S&D S&D
125

Netherlands S&D

3

Czechia S&D

3

Bulgaria S&D

2

Croatia S&D

2

Slovakia S&D

2

Lithuania S&D

1

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Malta S&D

2

Greece S&D

1
icon: ALDE ALDE
55

Germany ALDE

2

Romania ALDE

For (1)

1

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

Portugal ALDE

1

Sweden ALDE

2

Croatia ALDE

2

Denmark ALDE

1

Lithuania ALDE

2

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

2
icon: ECR ECR
53

Italy ECR

1

Romania ECR

For (1)

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Czechia ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

1
2

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Denmark ECR

2

Slovakia ECR

2

Lithuania ECR

1

Latvia ECR

For (1)

1
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
40

United Kingdom Verts/ALE

4

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Sweden Verts/ALE

3

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
36

Italy GUE/NGL

2

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

3

Czechia GUE/NGL

2

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Portugal GUE/NGL

For (1)

4

Denmark GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Ireland GUE/NGL

2

Greece GUE/NGL

2
icon: NI NI
12

Germany NI

Against (1)

2

France NI

2

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

Denmark NI

1

Hungary NI

2
icon: ENF ENF
31

Germany ENF

For (1)

1

Poland ENF

Against (1)

1

United Kingdom ENF

3

Netherlands ENF

4

Belgium ENF

Abstain (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
32

Germany EFDD

For (1)

1

Poland EFDD

1

Czechia EFDD

Against (1)

1

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
90 2018/2109(INI)
2018/11/30 IMCO 70 amendments...
source: 627.794
2018/12/10 INTA 20 amendments...
source: 631.984

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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  • date: 2019-01-28T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML&language=EN&reference=PE629.518&secondRef=02 title: PE629.518 committee: INTA type: Committee opinion body: EP
events
  • date: 2018-06-14T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2019-01-29T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2019-02-04T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2019-0059&language=EN title: A8-0059/2019 summary: The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the own-initiative report by Virginie ROZIÈRE (S&D, FR) on strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU Customs Union and its governance. The report noted that the Customs Union, which is 50 years old this year, is a cornerstone of the EU and is one of the world’s largest trading blocs. EU imports and exports totalled EUR 3 700 billion in 2017 and customs duties collected make up 15 % of the EU budget. The implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) is essential to safeguard EU own resources, in particular customs duties, and national fiscal interests, but also to safeguard European consumers and fair competition in the internal market. Generalities Members stressed that a fully functional Customs Union is essential to guarantee the credibility and strength of the EU and its negotiating position for the conclusion of new trade agreements. An efficient EU Customs Union helps to facilitate legal trade and to reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders. The report noted that the current divergences in the level and quality of controls, customs procedures and sanctions policies at the EU’s points of entry into the Customs Union often result in distortion of trade flows, feeding the problem of ‘forum shopping’ and putting at risk the integrity of the single market. In this context, Members strongly requested that the Commission and the Member States address this issue. Members also encouraged the Commission to step up its efforts to create an integrated EU customs one-stop shop that would help businesses submit all the necessary information and documents in one place and are thus able to meet all the regulatory requirements for the import, export and transit of goods. Digitisation of customs procedures Members called on the Commission and the Member States to develop a more efficient, cost-effective and streamlined approach to the management of IT systems for customs authorities. Given the delays in this area, they called for a more precise and realistic estimate of the time and resources that will be needed, and of the scope of the individual IT projects that will help to digitise customs procedures. Deploring the fact that the implementation of the new IT systems for the Customs Union has suffered a series of delays, resulting in the request by the Commission to Parliament and the Council for an extension of the transitional period beyond the deadline of 2020 laid down in the UCC, the Commission and the Council must, as a matter of the utmost priority, ensure that the customs code is implemented and customs procedures digitised within the new deadline. The Commission is called on to: - update its multiannual strategic plan by sequencing projects throughout the transition period so as to avoid the concentration of deployments at the end of the period, and by establishing binding milestones, including for Member States; - report regularly and transparently on the conduct of the multiannual strategic work plan and on the setting-up of the customs electronic systems, so as not to repeat the mistakes of the previous programming, and to inform about any possible future delays while not doing so at a moment’s notice or without proper corrective actions; - continuously evaluate the Customs 2020 programme and to respond to the shortcomings identified, in particular the under-utilisation of the teams of experts set up under this programme, and to make it possible to increase cooperation between customs services. Governance, reports and funding for the Customs programme Members called on the Commission and Member States to step up their efforts and expand the resources deployed so as to ensure full application of the customs code adopted in 2013 and of uniform customs procedures throughout the EU. They called on the Commission, in that connection, to submit an action plan that might usefully be based on a peer review of customs practices, on the exchange of good practices, on stepped-up cooperation between customs services and on a sufficiently resourced training programme. Taking note of the funding effort made under the EU budget, increasing the allocation for the next Customs programme for 2021-2027 to EUR 842 844 000 at 2018 prices, Member States were called on to provide the necessary human and financial resources for deployment of the national components, on which the introduction of the European electronic customs system is dependent. The Commission is called on to propose a more effective governance structure for the conduct of customs IT projects and their updates. Members stressed that the ‘Customs 2021-2027’ programme, by supporting Member States’ customs authorities, will help not only to increase EU budget revenues, but also to guarantee product safety, the protection of European consumers and a level playing field for EU businesses. Brexit Recalling that the United Kingdom will become a third country after withdrawal from the EU, thus altering the EU’s external borders, the Brexit process should not impact negatively on the development and governance of EU Customs. Members stressed that, following the withdrawal of the UK there must be no loopholes in the customs system – including at the external borders of the EU – that would pave the way for illicit trade or the evasion of public-law debts provided for under EU law.
  • date: 2019-02-14T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20190214&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2019-02-14T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2019-0133 title: T8-0133/2019 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 492 votes to 33, with 17 abstentions, a resolution on strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU Customs Union and its governance. Members recalled that the Customs Union, which is 50 years old this year, is a cornerstone of the EU and is one of the world’s largest trading blocs. EU imports and exports totalled EUR 3 700 billion in 2017 and customs duties collected make up 15 % of the EU budget. The implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) is essential to safeguard EU own resources, in particular customs duties, and national fiscal interests, but also to safeguard European consumers and fair competition in the internal market. Need for an efficient Customs Union Parliament stressed that a fully functional Customs Union is essential to guarantee the credibility and strength of the EU and its negotiating position for the conclusion of new trade agreements. An efficient EU Customs Union helps to facilitate legal trade and to reduce administrative burdens for legitimate traders. The resolution stressed the importance of: - ensuring effective controls - in particular by encouraging cooperation with customs authorities in third countries - and to avoid any unjustified obstacles to legal trade; - addressing the current divergences between the levels of control and their quality, as well as between customs procedures and sanctions policies at the points of entry into the Customs Union; - establishing uniform customs procedures within the Union based on a reformed IT infrastructure; - intensifying work on the creation of an integrated one-stop European electronic environment for customs. Digitisation of customs procedures Parliament called on the Commission and the Member States to develop a more efficient, cost-effective and streamlined approach to the management of IT systems for customs authorities. Given the delays in this area, it called for a more precise and realistic estimate of the time and resources that will be needed, and of the scope of the individual IT projects that will help to digitise customs procedures. Deploring the fact that the implementation of the new IT systems for the Customs Union has suffered a series of delays, resulting in the request by the Commission to Parliament and the Council for an extension of the transitional period beyond the deadline of 2020 laid down in the UCC, the Commission and the Council must, as a matter of the utmost priority, ensure that the customs code is implemented and customs procedures digitised within the new deadline. The Commission is called on to: - update the timetable of its UCC work programme to take account of the extension to the transitional period proposed by it; - update its multiannual strategic plan by sequencing projects throughout the transition period so as to avoid, as far as possible, the concentration of deployments at the end of the period, and by establishing binding milestones, including for Member States; - not to modify the statutory and technical specifications that have now been adopted for the 17 IT tools related to the Customs Code with major implications in terms of financial and human resources; - continuously evaluate the Customs 2020 programme and address the weaknesses identified; - further develop a tool on the performance of the Customs Union that will eventually allow its performance to be systematically assessed against its strategic objectives in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and uniformity. Governance, reports and funding for the Customs programme Parliament called on the Commission and Member States to step up their efforts and expand the resources deployed so as to ensure full application of the customs code adopted in 2013 and of uniform customs procedures throughout the EU. It called on the Commission, in that connection, to submit an action plan that might usefully be based on a peer review of customs practices, on the exchange of good practices, on stepped-up cooperation between customs services and on a sufficiently resourced training programme. The Commission and the Member States are called on to step up their efforts to better cope with the increase in the volume of low-value goods imported into the Union, which increases each year from 10% to 15%. Taking note of the funding effort made under the EU budget, increasing the allocation for the next Customs programme for 2021-2027 to EUR 842 844 000 at 2018 prices, Member States were called on to provide the necessary human and financial resources for deployment of the national components, on which the introduction of the European electronic customs system is dependent. The Commission is called on to propose a more effective governance structure for the conduct of customs IT projects and their updates. Brexit Recalling that the United Kingdom will become a third country after withdrawal from the EU, thus altering the EU’s external borders, the Brexit process should not impact negatively on the development and governance of EU Customs. Members stressed that, following the withdrawal of the UK there must be no loopholes in the customs system – including at the external borders of the EU – that would pave the way for illicit trade or the evasion of public-law debts provided for under EU law.
  • date: 2019-02-14T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/taxation-and-customs-union_en title: Taxation and Customs Union commissioner: MOSCOVICI Pierre
procedure/Modified legal basis
Rules of Procedure EP 159
procedure/dossier_of_the_committee
Old
IMCO/8/13379
New
  • IMCO/8/13379
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 54
procedure/legal_basis/0
Rules of Procedure EP 52
procedure/stage_reached
Old
Awaiting committee decision
New
Procedure completed
procedure/subject
Old
  • 2.10.01 Customs union, tax and duty-free, Community transit
New
2.10.01
Customs union, tax and duty-free, Community transit
activities/0/committees/0/date
2018-06-19T00:00:00
activities/0/committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: ROZIÈRE Virginie
activities/0/committees/0/shadows/0
group
ALDE
name
SELIMOVIC Jasenko
activities/0/committees/1/date
2018-05-09T00:00:00
activities/0/committees/1/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: DANTI Nicola
committees/0/date
2018-06-19T00:00:00
committees/0/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: ROZIÈRE Virginie
committees/0/shadows/0
group
ALDE
name
SELIMOVIC Jasenko
committees/1/date
2018-05-09T00:00:00
committees/1/rapporteur
  • group: S&D name: DANTI Nicola
procedure/legal_basis/0
Old
Rules of Procedure EP 052
New
Rules of Procedure EP 52
other/0
body
EC
dg
commissioner
MOSCOVICI Pierre
activities
  • date: 2018-06-14T00:00:00 body: EP type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading committees: body: EP shadows: group: EFD name: IWASZKIEWICZ Robert Jarosław responsible: True committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee: IMCO body: EP responsible: False committee_full: International Trade committee: INTA
committees
  • body: EP shadows: group: EFD name: IWASZKIEWICZ Robert Jarosław responsible: True committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee: IMCO
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: International Trade committee: INTA
links
other
    procedure
    dossier_of_the_committee
    IMCO/8/13379
    reference
    2018/2109(INI)
    title
    Strengthening the competitiveness of the internal market by developing the EU customs union and its governance
    legal_basis
    Rules of Procedure EP 052
    stage_reached
    Awaiting committee decision
    subtype
    Implementation
    type
    INI - Own-initiative procedure
    subject
    2.10.01 Customs union, tax and duty-free, Community transit