Journal

In January 2023, the EU Commission presented the report "On the assessment of customs infringements and penalties in Member States" (COM(2023) 5 final), which provides a summarized overview of … the individual system of penalties for infringements of customs law in each EU Member State. This article presents the essential highlights of the Commission‘s report, describes the existing system of infringements of customs law in the EU and its specific features throughout the EU Member States, as well as its specific features in different states. At the same time, the article reviews the perspectives of unifying the system of application of legal responsibility for infringements of customs law and the initiatives currently which are being considered in this area.

The Pan-European organisation International Confederation of Customs Brokers and Customs Representatives (Confiad) was founded in 1982 in Italy. It was founded with the purpose to defend and … coordinate the professional interest of its members, supporting harmonisation of the legislative, professional and customs regulations at European level. Confiad President Dr Massimo De Gregorio kindly accepted our invitation to share information about the confederation, its main activities and the customs broker’s profession.

A recently published comparative analysis of Member States' customs authorisation procedures for the entry of products into the EU concludes that the EU is a customs union with common legislation, … customs rules, procedures and a single development plan; yet, for a number of objective reasons and considerations, each Member State manages and develops its customs activities at its own pace and according to its own interpretation of the Union Customs Code. We overview some aspects of the analysis.

Muitinės sritis glaudžiai susijusi su daugeliu kitų sričių, yra net naudojamas terminas „ne muitinės“ teisės aktai. Kad turėtume pilną galimybių ir rizikų vaizdą, svarbu žinoti ir tokius tarsi … nesusijusius dalykus kaip dokumentinis akredityvas mokėjimui už prekes, tad natūralu, kad akį patraukė informacija dėl dar kitos temos – eksporto kreditų garantijų eksportuotojams. Ką ir kodėl apie jas turėtų žinoti galbūt ne tik eksportuotojai, bet ir muitinės tarpininkai bei kiti tiekimo grandinės dalyviai? Į šį ir susijusius klausimus atsakyti maloniai sutiko nacionalinės plėtros įstaigos „Investicijų ir verslo garantijos“ (INVEGA) Priemonių valdymo skyriaus projektų vadovė Milda Kutraitė.

Customs Consultative Committees (CCCs) or similar bodies have been set up in EU Member States, the UK and other countries to bring business and customs together to discuss issues, share knowledge … and improve the business environment. With what questions or problems can businesses turn to the CCC and what results can be expected? How can this be done? Do businesses actively make use of this tool? We thank Anthony Buckley, Chair of the CCC in Ireland for a number of years during the Brexit preparations, for kindly accepting the invitation to share his experiences and views.