EEA Trade & Facilitation Committee

The Customs Committee brings together the principle customs policy experts of the EEA, and addresses the many complex customs issues impacting express.

The strength and uniqueness of the committee comes from the fact that it brings together all the key players in the industry, even though they are competitors in the marketplace. Furthermore, the Committee works closely with other relevant industry associations in order to achieve its key policy objectives.

Due to the volume of shipments transported by the express industry that require customs clearance, the express industry is a crucial partner for the European Commission. Therefore, the EEA is a formal member of the Trade Contact Group, a platform for the industry to advise the European Commission on customs policies and procedures.

The Committee has two specific objectives. Firstly, it works to achieve harmonised customs clearance procedures for express shipments throughout Europe. Secondly, it promotes the earliest possible adoption by countries of the most advanced customs clearance processes.

The Committee’s current work is largely focused on the EU’s Union Customs Code and its many implementing rules. The EEA has actively contributed to the discussions with relevant authorities to ensure that the new code is implemented in the most efficient and secure manner possible. For the EEA, it is of the utmost importance that simplifications will be strengthened and that a level playing field between economic operators is ensured.

For the EEA, the EU’s internal market and the free movement of goods is of fundamental importance. The Customs Committee is therefore concerned about the increasing number of demands from Member States’ national authorities to systematically provide data on goods that are in free circulation in the EU. These controls and request for data cannot be of a routine nature as this would seriously the free movement of goods. In the interest of protecting the EU’s internal market, the EEA strongly encourages the EU institutions to address these national measures.