The European Commission recently released a new non-binding guidance document aimed at strengthening cooperation between EU customs authorities and economic operators in combatting illicit trade, drug trafficking, and organized crime, as the EU prepares for the rollout of the landmark customs reform effort that was announced March 25.
The overarching purpose of the guidance is to improve the capabilities of EU customs authorities and economic operators to identify, follow up, and prevent irregularities, including those related to security and safety threats. This will be achieved by building on existing cooperation efforts, by:
- gathering information from economic operators for customs authorities to leverage their expertise and resources to detect and prevent irregularities, and
- devising ways for customs authorities to share relevant information and knowledge in accordance with national legislations to enhance the capacity of economic operators to detect fraudulent shipments and suspicious parties.
The guidance makes clear that it seeks to foster a transparent and collaborative environment as a robust foundation for the forthcoming regulatory framework, under which a legal framework for the exchange of information between customs authorities and economic operators will be fully developed. In other words, this non-binding guidance is conceived by the Commission as a “vital precursor” to promote a culture of cooperation and compliance in the EU – based on information sharing and two-way cooperation, streamlined reporting with 24/7 contact points for urgent alerts, dynamic cooperation to adapt to evolving criminal tactics, and secure whistleblowing – as the new EU customs framework is rolled out.
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