Note from the CCRM editors: What can we expect from customs in the future? Professor Albert Willem Veenstra addressed this question together with other authors in the article ‘The changing role … of Customs: Customs aligning with supply chain and information management’ (World Customs Journal). After participating in a webinar on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), in which Professor Veenstra shared his insights, we took the opportunity to ask about the impact of this regulation on Customs and talk about various other related topics, such as complex supply chains, new business models for customs brokers and, of course, the knowledge required to meet the demands of a modern compliance professional.

Forced labor is on the rise worldwide. The United States is one of the largest importers of merchandise at risk of being produced with forced labor and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) … is committed to identifying products made with forced labor and preventing them from entering the United States. From FY 2022 to date, CBP’s forced labor enforcement has impacted over $ 2 billion worth of shipments. Clearly, companies have a lot at stake, and compliance with anti-forced labor requirements is critical not only from a corporate responsibility standpoint but due to the impact it may have on a company’s financial position.

EU importers of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilizers, electricity and hydrogen are preparing to submit their first report under the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), based … on emissions data from their third-country suppliers. What about other countries? Will they also introduce such climate measures, so that EU and other countries' suppliers (exporters) should be getting ready to prepare their emissions data? Indeed, there are similar initiatives in other countries, for example, the proposed U.S. Foreign Pollution Fee Act.

Note from the CCRM editors: The first part of the article provided an overview of the history, objectives and scope of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) introduced by the EU. It also … examined the issue of whether the Paris Agreement on climate change foresees border adjustment measures by countries with high climate ambitions, and posed the following question: Is the CBAM fair towards developing countries? In this second part, the author provides an overview of the provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) which could justify the CBAM, his assessment of the CBAM Regulation, and shares a practical list of questions that companies can use in order to find out whether they are affected, and if so, how they can prepare to meet the CBAM requirements, in particular for the transitional period.

Did you know that the EU imports around 26 kg of textiles per person per year? And around 11 kg are thrown away? That clothes are usually only worn 7 or 8 times? The EU is working on an EU strategy … for sustainable and circular textiles (see European Parliament resolution, published in the Official Journal on 21.12.2023), as textiles have the fourth highest negative impact on the climate and the environment, after food, housing and mobility. This article invites you to reflect on what can/ needs to be done in customs area to contribute to the EU's and global sustainability objectives. For example, whether customs tariffs or preferential rules of origin promote the circular economy, i.e. the import of used textiles for reuse or recycling and other sustainable options.