EU Customs Policy -

Full UCC implementation not possible by 2020 -

In a meeting held by the European Parliament (EP)’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee on 21 June 2017, the EU Commissioner for customs matters, Pierre Moscovici, confirmed that it is clear that certain IT systems required for full implementation of the Union Customs Code (UCC) will not be ready by the 2020 deadline.

Accordingly, the European Commission and EU Member States are exploring the possibility of amending the UCC (and certain related legal instruments) to allow more time for completion of the IT system upgrade. The next version of the Multiannual Strategic Plan (MASP) will reflect a new time plan for the various systems, and may be pointing to 2025 for certain key IT changes.

It further seems that centralised clearance, the key process to be introduced under the UCC by 2020 as well, will initially likely be phased in only by certain Member States. Centralised clearance should ultimately allow handling of all customs formalities through a single customs office, including for customs operations in other EU Member States. To allow centralised clearance across the EU, a comprehensive upgrade of existing IT systems will first be required.

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