WORLD MEETING OF CUSTOMS LAW
'Studies of Harmonization of Customs Law and
Contributions of the Academy for updating and improving
the WCO Instruments'
Keynote Speech
MODERN CUSTOMS IN THE WORLD OF
VIRTUAL REALITY
Mirosław F. Zieliński
Director, Customs Policy, Legislation & Tariff
6 September 2013 - WCO
Scene Setter
• Virtual reality: the fact of life today - information society
• The gigantic volumes of world trade information can only be
handled by modern customs
- about 99% of customs declarations in the EU are filed in
accordance with the virtual environment – electronically
• Changing patterns of trade
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Volumes of trade in the EU Customs Union:
• growing trend of the number of declarations (particularly for export) – 8
declarations per second (15 articles)
• total number of declarations in the EU in 2012: 261 million (import: 139 million,
export: 105 million, transit: 17 million (including national transit))
• normal procedures: 61 million; simplified procedures: 183 million
• customs value = EUR 3.5 trillion in 2012 (+8% compared to 2011)
• growing trend of the customs value of the EU external trade in both import and
export
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Valeur en douane
Modern EU customs mean:
• modernisation of legal basis
• serving clients electronically
• using simplified procedures
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Looking into the future in the EU – Future
Customs Initiative started several years ago
and at the end of 2012 published Communication
on the State of the Customs Union which:
•
took stock of the Customs Union, in particular its
successful history providing services, from revenue
collection to also protection and facilitation
•
acknowledged challenges the Customs Union is facing
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•
set out the way forward to provide for an even more
performing Customs Union in 2020, and
•
in addition to a priority setting, asked for a reform of
the governance and the roles and responsibilities of
Member States and the Commission
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Course of action set by the Communication:
•
complete modernization of customs via adopting the
Union Customs Code
•
complete gap analysis and set priorities for future action plan (risk management, BTIs, crisis
management, application of non-customs legislation,
sanctions and penalties, training)
•
enhance functioning through a governance reform of
the Customs Union functioning
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Modernisation of the customs legislation
through adoption of the Union Customs Code:
• legal basis for a paperless environment for customs
and trade
• a customs legislation streamlined, harmonised and
simplified (more horizontal provisions to govern, in
particular, parts concerning customs decisions,
guarantees, customs delcarations, etc.)
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• a valorised AEO status (Authorised Economic
Operator) for the most reliable economic operators
(simplifications reserved to AEOs and easier access
to other simplifications)
• a legal instrument to protect the financial interests of
the EU and its Member States to support risk
management and the security of the supply chain
• the UCC will be supplemented by further detailed
acts.
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The objectives of the governance reform would
be to achieve:
•
the definition of operational objectives/quality of
service for the EU and the joint system of monitoring
thereof
•
the improvement of operational coordination and
joint action, where it is needed
•
a mechanism for identifying needs, priorities and
transferring/supporting capacity where it is needed.
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Results of the governance reform
•
more rapid decision-making
•
IT development without duplication
•
trade-friendly Customs contributing to economic and
social development
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Thank you for your attention
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