Journal

This article argues that a formal plan for building and managing Customs knowledge is necessary for a Customs brokerage to operate effectively. The components of such a plan are discussed, as … well as the determinants that may affect the choices made. The discussion refers also to general issues of Customs knowledge acquisition, management and updating. The considerations apply to all Customs practitioners and trading businesses.

The business of Customs is extremely complex, and yet, until very recently, there was no academic recognition of Customs as a profession. Unlike lawyers, accountants, engineers and others who … are able to point to some form of diploma that indicates they are professionals in their field, no equivalent existed for Customs officials. This changed in the 1990s, thanks to three like-minded individuals who had been developing Customs-specific curricula in their universities – Münster in Germany, Riga in Latvia and Canberra in Australia.

New regulatory frameworks are constantly being introduced by governments with the aim of ensuring that the trading of goods remains compliant with their goals. While the regulators place the … onus of compliance mainly on the importers themselves, Customs are also faced with the immense responsibility of enforcing these regulations effectively without stopping the wheels of the global economy from turning. The smart use of data and technology to provide Customs authorities with the necessary knowledge and tools represents the best way forward.

Customs brokers and Customs administrations share many challenges when it comes to collecting and sharing knowledge. This article introduces some of the practices used in this domain by brokers … based in Lithuania.