Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-04-Speech-3-282"
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"en.20080604.27.3-282"2
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"Madam President, I would firstly like to thank you for your interest and contribution to the improvement of our legislation and practice in the customs area. I want to emphasise that the two legal documents – the modernised Customs Code and the e-Customs Decision – will make the functioning of the European Union’s customs services better, faster and even cheaper. I am, of course, at the disposal of Parliament to keep you informed of the main developments in the field of customs legislation and its implementation.
On 1 April the Commission adopted a new communication on a strategy for the evolution of the Customs Union, which was supported by a resolution of the Council. The future customs initiative resulting from this communication will support customs in providing an appropriate and balanced response to the double challenge that they face – on the one hand ensuring the safety and security control of goods at the external borders and, on the other hand, facilitating trade. To this end, the initiative envisages moving from the current transaction-based approach of customs formalities and controls to a system-based approach, focusing on the internal control systems and supply chain of the economic operators. Such a new approach implies new working and control methods and a future customs risk management strategy. It will also offer a platform for working with the Member States on the most appropriate operational structures to be put in place in the future for an efficient functioning of the customs union.
Regarding Mrs Roithová’s question about the US Congress’s hundred percent scanning initiative: even before it was adopted by the Congress we had made a number of efforts to change the proposal, but failed to do so. The US Administration showed a great deal of understanding because they also realised that the introduction of such measures would be a unilateral step and so would be contrary to our bilateral and multilateral approach. The US Administration understood that it would certainly not increase security but, on the contrary, would generate a false sense of security, which would divert resources and attention from the real security measures.
Our concept is the future recognition of security standards, of security controls, the result of security controls and also the mutual recognition of the customs trade partnership: the CT Pact on the US side and the authorised economic operator on the EU side. I mention this because there was some reference, in connection with SMEs, to the fact that this authorised economic operator is a very good system for making life better and easier for small and medium-sized companies.
We quite recently provided information for the US Administration when, in April, we presented a report to Michael Chertoff and to the Customs and Border Protection of the US in which we explained what kind of difficulties we expect from the introduction of hundred percent scanning: the disruption of trade, the disturbances in maritime traffic and also in bilateral trade relations. Just to give you one figure: in one single year the US receives more than ten million sea containers. We send some two million containers from the EU, and this system, if introduced, would cover more than 700 ports all over the world, so you can imagine what kind of problems it will cause. We hope that, step by step, not only the US Administration but also the legislators will come to understand that it will certainly not increase security, but will create very serious problems in bilateral and multilateral trade.
Finally, as emphasised in the report, 2008 is the year of the 40th anniversary of the Customs Union. It will also be the year of a new start for the Community and the Member States in that field."@en1
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