68TH PLENARY MEETING OF DG TAXUD’S TRADE CONTACT GROUP
The 68th plenary session of DG TAXUD’s Trade Contact Group (TCG) was held online on 13th December. Mr Mathias Petschke, Director opened the meeting with an overview of recent developments, marking 13 days since Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič assumed responsibility for customs and trade matters.
Ms Michelle Perolat followed with an update on the progress of the Customs Reform Package. She reported positive feedback from the recent meeting of European Finance ministers (ECOFIN), where the Hungarian Presidency presented its progress report and concluded its work on the file.
The meeting also addressed several other key topics, including the upcoming World Customs Organization (WCO) reform of the Harmonised Tariff System (HS), the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and the new Chile-EU trade agreement. CLECAT welcomed the HS reform and the Commission’s initiative to launch a new trade consultation on this matter in 2025. For CBAM, CLECAT also urged the Commission to consider an annual income-based threshold, similar to that of the UK’s, to simplify carbon emission reporting.
During the closing discussions, Trade associations expressed concerns regarding the final rollout of the UCC Work Programme. They emphasised the need to fully leverage the trade facilitation potential of this complex project, particularly Centralised Clearance for Import - a feature eagerly anticipated by the trade community.