CLECAT ATTENDS ECCG
CLECAT took part in the 106th meeting of the Electronic Customs Coordination Group (ECCG), held jointly with the Trade Contact Group in Brussels on 27-28 November. The meeting gathered Member States, the Commission and trade representatives to review progress on major EU customs digitalisation projects and discuss upcoming deadlines.
Across the two days, the Commission gave updates on the implementation of the EU Customs Data Hub, ICS2 Release 3, the Customs Single Window and eATA digitalisation. Several Member States reported progress on their national deployments, while others highlighted remaining bottlenecks. ECCG discussions again showed how tight implementation timelines continue to challenge both administrations and economic operators.
CLECAT underlined concerns about trader onboarding for France's Automated Export System (AES) deployment, which should conclude by 14 December but remains significantly behind schedule. Together with the European Express Association (EEA), they urged the Commission and French authorities to prepare contingency measures to avoid bottlenecks in France during the busiest period of the year, which would not only affect French exporters but also many traders across the EU, given France’s key role as a major exit point for goods leaving the Union.