Articles

Editor's note. The European Commission has recognised the problem of unnecessary red tape and has announced a far-reaching simplification of certain regulations. The CBAM Regulation is one of … them. Which CBAM simplifications are planned and which still need to be considered? CLECAT, the European Association for Forwarding, Transport, Logistics and Customs Services, has expressed its views on this subject in a document sent to the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment, Climate and Food Safety and to the Members of the Council, which we invite you to read.

News in week 11: EU announced retaliatory tariffs in response to the tariffs imposed by the US; restrictive measures in respect of actions against Ukraine - high risk of circumvention when importing … plywood, consolidated FAQs on the implementation of Council Regulations No 833/2014, 269/2014, 692/2014 and 2022/263, amended list of sanctioned persons; anti-dumping proceeding concerning imports of adipic acid; definitive countervailing duties on imports of certain aluminium road wheels; adoption of the VAT in the Digital Age package; and more updates.

Due to the many crises in the world and the associated need for security, the demand for export control is increasing once again. Furthermore, we see the states’ efforts in the EU increasingly … investing in their defence. As a result, more and more companies are becoming suppliers to the defence industry. Therefore, we are starting our series on export control today, as already announced in our article “Don't let this happen to you! US export control law and re-export from the EU” from 14 January, 2025. In our first article, we address the basic questions: What does export control mean? Why is export control important for countries? What is controlled and according to which criteria?

The recent cover of the weekly The Economist issue had a picture of red tape and the title “The revolt against regulation”. Some statistics from the articles on the topic: in the US, federal … regulations now exceed 180,000 pages, up from 20,000 in the early 1960s; in the past five years the European Parliament has enacted more than twice as many laws as America; red tape costs the French economy close to 4% of GDP every year. In this interview with Vincent van Dijk, Senior Advisor on Norm engineering and rule-based solutions, we invite consideration of ‘norm engineering’ as one of potential solutions of the growing problem, which we, customs practitioners, are also witnessing in our specific field.

A food consignment arrived in Israel and was found to be damaged due to a lack of refrigeration. The importer uses the foreign forwarder who transported from abroad to Israel. Will the court … uphold the claim or will it decide that the claim should be adjudicated outside Israel? This will be discussed in this review in light of the court's recent decision.

News in brief: Customs Technical Handbooks published; trade negotiations with India relaunched; Alcohol Duty Stamp Scheme to end on 1 May 2025; special procedure authorisation by declaration … enabled; information and resources compiled to help businesses prepare for the changes to the Windsor Framework; Mandatory Logistics Envelope available from 1 April 2025; UK Tariff updated; DBT national survey of registered businesses' export behaviour published.

In addition to the numerous sustainability-related areas assigned to customs (CBAM, EUDR, forced labor prohibition regulation, CITES, etc.), customs will soon be assigned another task – the control … of packaging compliance with sustainability requirements. Accordingly, importers themselves will have to be aware of one more regulation. Let's review the new regulation on packaging and packaging waste and the requirements set out in it.

News in week 8: Q&A on the US reciprocal tariff policy; definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of melamine; imports of certain products made subject to registration; anti-dumping proceeding … concerning imports of continuous filament glass fibre products; EU-Tunisia free trade agreement - changes regarding the origin of goods; extension of certain restrictive measures against Russia; amendments concerning imports of wine originating in New Zealand; and more updates.

The EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act was created to manage the most important risks associated with the development and adaptation of this technology. Let’s take a look at the most discussed … risks associated with AI, as identified by various internet commentators, experts and members of the public.

A recent case before the Court of Justice of the European Union raises the issue of the classification of an electric four-wheel vehicle for seniors traveling at speeds of up to 16 km per hour. … The classification as ‘other vehicles similar to golf carts’ and ‘wheelchairs/other vehicles designed for disabled persons’ was decided with a duty of 10% or 0%, respectively. Let us review the main highlights determining the classification of such goods.

News in brief: tariff notices; preparation for upcoming changes under the Windsor Framework; trade remedies notices; end of the Modernising Authorisations project; Russian sanctions evasion; … safety and security declaration requirements for importing goods from the EU; first Customs Technical Handbooks have been published.

The 25th Authors' Meeting brought together customs experts from different countries to discuss challenges and trends in Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and equivalent programmes. This article … deals with the main findings of the meeting participants, covering both general and country-specific contributions to the topic, with an emphasis on the EU context.

In this article, we continue to share the key insights from the 25th Authors' Meeting, which took place on 9 January 2025 and was dedicated to AEO trends and challenges in different countries. … The first part of the overview on the EU AEO/T&C framework was presented in the article "Trusted traders (e.g. AEO): new trends and developments in the EU". This article reflects the key points highlighted by the meeting participants from several non-EU countries.

News at a glance: revised PEM Convention entered into force; lists of goods subject to licensing and quotas approved for 2025; rules for importing goods subject to official controls updated; … state control of non-food products resumed; Import duty exemptions for defence-related goods; gradual annual increases in excise duties on fuels; priority border crossing for AEOs.

News in week 5: the US launches a trade war by imposing tariffs on Mexican, Canadian and Chinese goods, and Canada announces tariffs of 25% on US goods; EU plans to impose additional tariffs … on agricultural products and fertilisers from Russia and Belarus; imports of screws without heads subject to registration; amendments to the anti-dumping exemptions for certain bicycle parts; changes to tariff quotas following the EU-Chile ITA; amendment of the Convention on a common transit procedure; Georgia accedes to two Conventions; amendments to the Explanatory notes to the Combined Nomenclature; CJEU on classification of a four-wheel vehicle with an electric motor, which has one seat; and more updates!

It is no secret that non-preferential origin can actually be more difficult to determine than preferential origin. The importance of non-preferential origin, in the age of new trade wars and … border-applied sustainability policies is increasing. For that reason, the recent judgement by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in the Harley-Davidson Europe and Neovia Logistics Services International v. Commission case is particularly interesting.