Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-12-11-Speech-1-144"
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"en.20061211.15.1-144"2
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"Mr President, first of all I would like to thank the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection as well as the other committees involved, and in particular Mrs Fourtou as rapporteur for the reports to be discussed tonight.
I very much appreciate the efforts of the European Parliament and particularly those of Mrs Fourtou to come to an agreement in a single reading on the Customs 2013 proposal. This will definitely ensure the continuity of the programme activities as of 1 January 2008. The speedy adoption of Customs 2013 shows that there is a broad agreement across all the institutions on the obvious need to guarantee the effective functioning of the internal market in the customs field. Indeed, the customs environment is undergoing major changes. The Customs 2013 programme will be an essential instrument to ensure efficient cooperation and coordination between all customs administrations. It will facilitate the introduction of new trans-European computerised systems, reinforce networks between customs officials and promote and establish common training modules.
Once the two customs proposals under debate and the e-customs proposal are finally adopted by both Parliament and the Council, they will enable the customs services of the EU to meet the major challenges. They will facilitate international trade, foster simpler control and will more effectively protect the internal market and the health, safety and security of our citizens through more efficient control.
The modernisation of the European customs environment is an essential contribution to attaining the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy. It is a must if we want the European Union to remain an attractive place to do business and maintain the external competitiveness of EU companies. In this context, it is crucial to deepen the single market by making the EU a fully-integrated customs territory.
This reform is also critical if we want to live up to the challenges of globalisation and reinforce the role of customs in protecting our citizens and companies from security and safety hazards such as counterfeiting, dangerous goods or the devices of international terrorism.
The modernised Community Customs Code will provide the legal framework for the development of a simple and paperless environment for customs and trade based on the best use of information and communication technology.
The present Community Customs Code was adapted in 1992. Since then, it has undergone only limited changes. This means that the Code has not kept pace with the radical changes to the environment in which customs and traders operate, particularly in respect of the rapid and irreversible adoption of electronic data exchange. The Customs Code has to be adapted to fit the electronic environment. In addition, it is commonly held by customs authorities and traders alike that current customs procedure and processes are unnecessarily complicated. They also do not reflect the changing focus of customs work, moving from the collection of declining customs duties towards the application of non-tariff measures. This includes, in particular, security and safety measures, the fight against counterfeiting, money laundering and drugs and the application of sanitary, health and consumer protection measures.
With your support, the proposal for a modernised Customs Code on the table tonight, together with the proposals on the Council table and e-customs, will make customs work better, faster and more cheaply.
Let me once again and now more specifically turn to Mrs Fourtou and the Committee on the Internal Market for their detailed and most valuable assessment of the Commission’s proposal for a modernised Customs Code. I know there is unanimous support in the Committee on the Internal Market for the rapporteur’s recommendations. Progress in the Council is complementing your work. I am pleased to report that on 4 December the Competitiveness Council showed a keen interest in the key elements of the reform. Ministers gave strong support to the Commission’s proposals on the single window, on centralised clearance and on customs agents, while inviting the Commission to pursue the work to implement these in an acceptable manner for all Member States.
I would like to thank Parliament for its constructive contribution to the debate on these three issues, but I must also inform you that in at least one of them the Commission’s position remains unchanged. Thus it is the Commission’s firm opinion that the accreditation of professional customs agents is not a matter for the Customs Code. There is a future for the profession in an open competitive market, through self-regulation and the recognition provided by the status of authorised economic operator.
Though there is no debate on the e-customs proposal tonight, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the rapporteur Mr Heaton-Harris and the Committee on the Internal Market for its full support for an extremely ambitious Commission proposal. It is indeed challenging to propose that all Member States and the Commission commit themselves to developing common electronic systems for customs proposals by an agreed date. Let me stress that the firm support from Parliament is more than welcome in order to convince Member States that, despite budgetary constraints, they need to develop their customs IT system in a Community framework. I am confident that the Council will acknowledge this step and the proposal can soon be adopted."@en1
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