POLISH PRESIDENCY EVENT ON EU CUSTOMS REFORM
On 10 July, CLECAT participated in an event hosted by the Permanent Representation of Poland in Brussels, titled “Taking Customs Union Reform to the Next Level – What to Expect from the New Union Customs Code?” The event was chaired by Małgorzata Krok, Undersecretary of State and Deputy Head of the Polish National Revenue Administration, and gathered senior officials including Mr Matthias Petschke, Director at DG TAXUD, several Directors General of Customs from Member States, Customs Attachés, and trade association representatives.
The two panel discussions focused on the future Union Customs Code (UCC) following the Council's recent revision of the Commission’s reform proposal, and the expected impact on businesses and customs administrations. Mr Petschke expressed disappointment at the Council’s removal of the proposed minimum level of harmonisation for sanctions, though he acknowledged the constructive work done by successive Council presidencies. He highlighted pending issues, including the seat, mandate and governance of the future European Customs Authority, and implementation details of the e-commerce fee and the removal of the €150 de minimis threshold.
Christian Lützen, Director General of Danish Customs, confirmed that the Danish Presidency would steer the Council negotiations in upcoming trilogues efficiently, with a strong focus on simplifications and competitiveness. Trade representatives reiterated support for harmonised sanctions and welcomed the Council’s substantial improvements to the original 2023 proposal, noting that evolving geopolitical realities had made many of the changes necessary.
There was broad consensus that the new UCC must be practical – protecting EU citizens while facilitating business and competitiveness. Stakeholders called for enhanced consultation mechanisms for implementation. CLECAT underlined the essential role of logistics intermediaries in delivering trade facilitation and expressed hope that the trilogues will fine-tune the liability framework accordingly.
Participants thanked the Polish Presidency for its strong focus that resulted in finalising the Council mandate and commended the collective efforts of recent presidencies. Trilogue discussions are expected to start after summer, with hopes of concluding negotiations by the end of the year.