Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-04-Speech-3-274"
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"en.20080604.27.3-274"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the customs union, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008, was one of the first stages of European integration. It has led to the abolition of all import and export customs duties between EU Member States and to the adoption of a common foreign tariff. It is a vital aspect of the proper functioning of the internal market and the correct application of the Union’s trade agreements. Within the customs union, the efficiency of import and export procedures is vital for the Union’s competitiveness and for the protection of its citizens.
Commissioner, you recently published the customs figures for 2007, which show, and I quote, ‘new and alarming tendencies’. You said that counterfeiting continues to endanger our health, our safety and our economy. In terms of consumer protection, there are numerous concerns and my report contains proposals regarding compliance with European standards, particularly in terms of health and safety.
Another example is the issue of cigarette smuggling, which was raised in Parliament last September and for which I was rapporteur for my political group. This highlighted the scale of the problem and revealed weaknesses in our Community transit system. This is why the Committee on International Trade questions the quality of our customs system and its ability to cope with the challenges inherent in trade globalisation in a context where our citizens expect the Union to protect them. This at least is what is proposed by the Treaty of Lisbon, currently undergoing ratification by the Member States, which states in Article 1(4) that in its relations with the wider world, the Union shall contribute to the protection of its citizens.
At international level, the main uncertainty is the outcome of the Doha Round negotiations conducted by the World Trade Organization, where any agreement seems a far-off prospect. We all know that if the multilateral trade negotiations break down, we will end up with bilateral competition – which as we are all aware is governed by the law of survival of the fittest – and we will need a strong and effective customs union. Even within the World Customs Organization, we are seeing less progress in terms of efficiency and global harmonisation of customs procedures, following the security concerns that emerged in the United States in the wake of 9/11.
Nevertheless, in terms of international trade, the report points out that if import and export rules and procedures are too strict, this can represent a non-tariff barrier to trade. I invite the Commission to focus particularly on small and medium-sized enterprises, which consider excessively burdensome customs rules and procedures as one of the key obstacles to international trade. The customs system must be used to facilitate trade, and the report proposes that this issue be the subject of an international agreement, to be dealt with separately from the Doha Agenda.
The report also examines the numerous issues linked with the tariff classification, value and origin – both preferential and non-preferential – of goods, in the hope that the Commission will heed the demands of the industrial sectors concerned.
Finally, I would like to stress that the ongoing lack of harmonisation seems to me to be a clear cause of the weakening of the European customs system. I understand, Commissioner, that the reform of the Customs Code is a priority for the Commission and that it is already a sufficiently complex task without being combined with institutional reform. However, I wish to open up a debate by proposing that consideration be given to the possible creation of integrated and coordinated national customs administrations, with a view to moving towards a Community administration in charge of the customs union. Indeed, the increasingly pro-harmonisation nature of the customs rules means that the role of customs is
becoming identical throughout the Union.
In view of the long periods of time required for developments to take place in the Community, especially those which affect the prerogatives of the Member States, I believe that the time has come to lay this issue on the table. It is an issue which is both symbolic, in that it is the crowning achievement of 40 years of increasingly advanced customs integration, and pragmatic, in that it reflects the need for a more efficient customs organisation in an increasingly complex, fast-moving world which will not wait for us."@en1
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