The European Commission has presented this Monday (28.09.2020) a strategy with which it intends modernize and strengthen customs controls on imports from third countries, in order to more easily detect fraudulent activities but also so that border authorities can respond more quickly to situations arising from emergencies such as the pandemic or the challenges presented by the future relationship with the United Kingdom.
El plan It was unveiled at a press conference by the Commissioner for the Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, and contains around twenty initiatives that the Community Executive will detail in the remainder of 2020 and until 2025. "The new challenges show that we have to make our customs rules smarter and work better for Member States, citizens and businesses," said the Italian.
This requires, Gentiloni continued, “improved use of data, better equipment and tools, and greater cooperation between the EU and the customs authorities of partner countries.” “It also requires greater vigilance, so that the EU can face the future with confidence,” he added.
Brussels has explained that fraud linked to the payment of VAT on imports, the trade of goods that do not comply with European safety standards or the trafficking of counterfeit products "have become major problems."
For example, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) has warned the European Commission that customs fraud is “widespread” and recommended the recovery of €2017 billion unpaid at borders for deliberately undervalued products between 2019 and 2.700. In addition, the value of counterfeit goods entering the bloc each year amounts to €121.000 billion, which represents 6,8% of the total.
But fraud is not the only thing that worries the Community Executive, which has also designed a series of measures to modernize customs controls so that they can better respond to the consequences of the UK's exit from the bloc and to the challenges posed by future emergencies similar to the coronavirus pandemic,
Thus, the 17 measures included in the action plan are included in four major objectives, Which are improve the risk management, face the rise of e-commerce, boost the compliance with standards and facilitate national border authorities to act as a "unique entity«.
This includes tightening the information that payment service platforms such as Amazon or PayPal will have to provide to national authorities. This measure, provided for in already approved directives, will come into force in 2024 and Brussels has announced that it will expand the requirements applicable to these companies.
Another initiative of the strategy is the launch of a New data “analysis center” to share information on risk management, anti-fraud operations or trend monitoring.
The European Commission also intends to present a legislative proposal to create one «Single window"in the area of customs management that companies can use to complete all the necessary formalities when importing goods into the bloc. "It will allow collaborative processing, the exchange of information and a better analysis of risks," the Community Executive stresses.
Brussels has also set itself the goal of providing national authorities with better equipment to carry out border controls, working to Achieve a customs cooperation agreement with China before the end of the year and create a "think tank" made up of representatives from governments and the business world to "prepare for future crises."
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