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Books on Customs and Trade Compliance can provide great guidance in planning your future activities (2023 and beyond). Authors of the books and also their readers were exchanging distilled insights … and tips in this regard during the 3rd Global Webinar ‘Book on Customs’, which took place on the 15th of December, 2022. We overview some of the thoughts and practical tips shared.

Kviečiame pasiimti puodelį kavos ir "sudalyvauti" leidinio redakcinės kolegijos diskusijoje. Šiandien kalbame apie tai, kaip sukurti, išvystyti, tinkamai „maitinti“ ir visaip kaip tobulinti žinių … duomenų bazes, kad jos neštų kuo didesnę naudą visai muitinės ekosistemai. Klausimas neatsiejamas nuo nuolatinio kiekvieno muitinės srityje dirbančio žmogaus asmeninio tobulėjimo - kaip nebūti senų/ jokių žinių liūdesyje, kaip įdarbinti savo smegenis, išeiti iš komforto zonos, kaip turėti drąsos turėti poziciją, o ne vien atsargų saugų nukopijuotą „Briuselio atsakymo“ variantą.

Spartūs pokyčiai – geopolitiniai, technologiniai, klimato, ekonominiai, teisiniai ir kt. – kelia daug iššūkių muitinės atitikties ekosistemai. Kaip juos sėkmingai spręsti? Kaip ne tik spręsti, … bet ir patiems drąsiai formuoti ateitį tokią, kokios norime? Kokių žinių ir kompetencijų tam reikia? Kas turi keistis? Š. m. gruodžio 8 d. Vilniuje vyko 7-oji Muitinės praktikų konferencija, kurioje skaityti pranešimai aktualiomis temomis ir kelti minėti klausimai. Pateikiame trumpą pranešimų apžvalgą.

It is clear that global trade has new challenges and John Finley made a good point when he said that [business] maturity is the capacity to endure uncertainty. The future is uncertain, but the … key may well be to have a Customs supply chain that consists of a team working together to deliver cost-effective and quality goods as well as a matching service; moreover, in today’s world of global trade there is an urgent need to embrace and use data-driven decisions.

When we come to December and ponder what the new year may bring, it is an ideal opportunity to reflect on the past success and failure of our trade business in order to seek-out how to improve … our business performance in the future. Let’s consider compliance reviews that deliver the highest value but require the least effort.

‘Interpretation of customs law and related challenges for businesses’ was the topic discussed in the 13ᵗʰ Authors’ Meeting. Many interesting and important aspects around the topic were raised … by the participants: the challenge of wording and even punctuation used; the importance of understanding the background of legal changes; interpreting law vs first understanding what product we have; the lack of legal clarity in defining responsibilities and liabilities; the need for more simplifications; and how the law shall evolve to help to achieve the vision of the worlds’ most effective border.

Legal responsibility is one of the reasons why people refrain from engaging in non-compliant actions or activities. No one wants to be fined, let alone jailed, including participants of the international … supply chain. So, what does customs compliance mean for those involved in international trade? What rules should be followed?

Lawyers are often called by importers and exporters when something goes wrong. A customs lawyer with many years of experience representing clients in disputes with customs and in the courts is … an invaluable source of compliance knowledge. However, solving disputes in appeal procedures and subsequently in the courts is a long and costly process (and there is no success guarantee); therefore, be proactive, talk to a lawyer or a consultant beforehand about what and why can go wrong and take actions to prevent the issues.

‘Compliance starts from managers’ awareness’, ‘You can want the best specialists, but you can choose only among those available and fitting into your budget’, ‘Frequent legal changes and lack … of guidance introduce instability’ - these and many more aspects were highlighted by experts from various countries representing business, customs, and academia during the 12th Authors’ Meeting.

Customs compliance is full of challenges and ‘surprises’ from counterparties, customs brokers, carriers and other persons involved. Unpredictable risks and conditions are the inevitable companions … of international trade. However, there are many areas where companies might keep most of the risks under their control. What are these areas? What should companies do to mitigate such risks and meet the related challenges?

‘I would recommend trade compliance to anyone with the ability to distil complex, rigid structures down to a practical reality. Trade compliance rules are a minefield that even the most seasoned … professionals cannot confidently claim they have a complete grasp of. If you're willing to constantly be challenged and willing to continuously learn you'll probably fit in well.’– says Samuel Draginich, Senior Trade Compliance Manager, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), Amazon EU and Member of the Editorial Board of CCRM journal.

Procedural fairness, forced labour, export control measures and classification of goods, royalty fee and other valuation-related issues, the liability of a customs broker (representative), tariff … classification and the main feature of a product - insights on these topics were shared during the 11th Authors’ Meeting. We invite you to learn which court cases were selected and which aspects were paid attention to by experts from various countries – the United States of America, Ukraine, France, Bulgaria, Israel, and Lithuania.

In June 2022, the 6th Customs Practitioners‘ Conference took place in Lithuania. The importance of customs in the context of the war in Ukraine, challenges for business and the role of customs … professionals in helping top-level managers to make strategic decisions and ensure compliance with them, as well as related liability issues, were emphasised. We invite you to familiarise yourself with what was discussed and pointed out by several speakers.

If you had the chance to talk to an expert who was working on the Union Customs Code (UCC), what would you ask? … Questions we asked: What your suggestions do we find in the UCC? What are you … especially proud of about the UCC? What could have been done differently? What would be your advice for the users of the UCC? And more! Grab cup of coffee and enjoy our interview with Michael Lux.

This year, the D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics created a Customs Control Club. The main idea of it is for students to understand why customs is an important factor in international trade and … what its significance is for the state and society. At the end of the first season, students were asked to write an essay on what customs should not be, what customs is today, and what customs should be tomorrow.

This article looks at how Singapore Customs strives to bring efficiency in the management of trade operations to lower their impact on the environment as well as at the initiatives it has taken … to support environmental policies.

Importers often try to avoid customs clearance processes, relying entirely on the customs broker. On the one hand, the broker is a customs expert, possesses relevant experience and, ultimately, … receives a commission for his/her work. It seems that the importer should not be involved in the processes managed by the customs broker. On the other hand, such self-exclusion can result in very unpleasant financial and reputational consequences. This article considers the most common misconceptions of importers in cooperation with customs brokers, which cause losses for both sides.