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The European Commission recently announced that Belgium and Sweden have joined the Centralised Clearance for Import (CCI) system, further expanding its reach across the EU. Belgium will operate under CCI Phase 1, while Sweden will apply certain Phase 2 functionalities, including trade involving excise goods and special fiscal territories. This follows the launch of the CCI in July 2024, with an initial group of eight Member States, and brings the total number of participating countries to twelve. By mid-2025, seven countries had already reached full implementation of CCI Phase 2, with additional Member States expected to follow in the coming months.

The CCI, developed under the Union Customs Code, allows authorised traders to lodge import declarations in their country of establishment even when goods enter through another Member State. The aim is to simplify import procedures, reduce administrative burdens, and strengthen coordination between customs authorities. The Commission highlights that the system offers businesses faster clearance and a single point of contact through their supervising customs office, while improving cooperation and data exchange between national administrations.

CLECAT welcomes the progress made but remains attentive to how the transition from the current CCI system will be managed within the framework of the forthcoming EU Customs Reform, particularly through the EU Data Hub. It will also be important to understand how the Commission intends to support these plans from the VAT side. The lack of VAT harmonisation - alongside Customs, within the remit of DG TAXUD - remains a major obstacle for economic operators and continues to limit the uptake of CCI despite being one of the key facilitation elements in what has been dubbed as the “most significant reform of EU customs since 1968”.