Noël Colpin, the Administrator of the Belgian Customs and Excise Administration, will be in charge of ‘Globally Networked Customs’, a high level WCO working group. ‘Globally Networked Customs’ is an important element of the WCO vision for Customs in the 21st century.

Information technology has enabled customs to be connected electronically to each other, which facilitated the exchange of information in customs operations, including border protection. Therefore the WCO issued in June 2008 ‘Customs in the 21st Century’, a document that sets out strategic direction for customs worldwide. It describes the new challenges and role of customs in the 21st century, explains customs missions and objectives underpinning it. It provides information on development of the new strategic direction for customs and explains the future role of the WCO. In particular, it highlights the coordinated border management and globally networked customs.

The new challenges of the 21st Century demand a new concept of Customs-to-Customs cooperation, a closer real-time collaboration between Customs administrations and between Customs and business in facilitating legitimate trade and undertaking Customs controls, in support of the international trading system.

Therefore a global Customs network was created in partnership between the public and the private sectors to support the international trading system, the so-called ‘e-Customs network’.

The aim of the ‘e-Customs network’ is to ensure seamless, real-time and paperless flows of information and connectivity. This includes mutual recognition of Customs controls and Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programmes.

The EU Commission and the Member States are implementing the EORI number or Economic Operators Registration and Identification number. The purpose of the EORI number is to have one unique identification number for each Economic Operator that should be recognised by all EU customs authorities. Such an identification number will serve as a common reference for the identification of economic operators in their relations with the customs authorities of the EU and for the exchange of information between these authorities and where appropriate, between customs authorities and other government departments and agencies.
The EORI number is mandatory as of 1st July onwards.

Who need to be registered ?
Economic Operators involved in customs related activities or mentioned on customs declarations.

In what Member State does an Economic Operator need to be registered ?
An economic Operator needs to be registered only in the Member State in which it is established for activities covered by customs legislation. The EORI number is unique and valid in all Member States of the EU. Operators of 3rd countries have to apply for their EORI number in the Member State where a customs declaration mentioning this operator is first submitted. The EORI number will be valid in all countries of the EU.
Example: Economic Operator X established in Germany imports goods via the port of Antwerp. The goods are released into free circulation in Belgium. As X is established in Germany, it needs to obtain an EORI number in Germany. The EORI obtained in Germany must be mentioned on the import declaration in Belgium.

EORI identification number
The EORI number will be structured as an identification number stating the country code of the Member State, e.g. BE followed with a numeric number. For Belgium this numeric number corresponds to the VAT number.

Registration procedure
Most Member States foresee in an automatic registration for those economic operators that are already known for customs. In case you don’t receive your EORI or a confirmation about your EORI, you will have to ask it to the competent authorities in your Member State. The Member State granting the number will validate the information included in the application form and process this information in both a national and a central EU system. Data will be exchanged between Member States and the EU Commission.

Implementation and application in Belgium
If your company is registered in the NCTS system, you will automatically receive a letter stating that your TIN number or Traders Identification Number is valid till end June. In the same letter the EORI number replacing the TIN number from 1st July onwards is mentioned.
If your company is known in the PLDA system, you should also automatically be informed with a letter informing your EORI number.
If by June, 10th, you have not been informed about your EORI, you need to apply yourself for an EORI number.

EORI on the customs declaration
According to the Commission Regulation n° 312/2009 of 16th April 2009 (OJ L 98, 17 April 2009), the EORI number should be mentioned in following boxes of the customs declaration:

For export, re-exportation, outward processing, community transit and/or proof of the community status of good:.
In Box 2: Consignor/Exporter. When the consignor/exporter does not have an EORI number, the customs administration may assign him an ad hoc number for the declaration concerned.
In Box 8: Consignee. If an EORI number has not been assigned to the consignee, enter the number required by the legislation of the Member State concerned.
In Box 14: Declarant/Representative. If the declarant/representative does not have an EORI number, the customs administration may assign him an ad hoc number for the declaration concerned.
In Box 50: Principal. In this box, you should enter the full name and address of the principal, together with the EORI number referred to the principal. Where the EORI number is provided, Membe States may waive the obligation to provide the full name and address.

For release for free circulation, inward processing, temporary importation, processing under customs control, customs warehousing and the entry of goods to free zones subject to type II controls:
In Box 2:Consignor/Exporter. If an EORI number has not been assigned to the consignor/exporter, enter the number requested by the legislation of the Member State concerned.
In Box 8: Consignee. When the consignee does not have an EORI number, the customs administration may assign him an ad hoc number for the declaration concerned.
In Box 14:Declarant/Representative. When the declarant/representative does not have an EORI number, the customs administration may assign him an ad hoc number for the declaration concerned.

Agoria and Essenscia have organised an information campaign on MASP last year. On demand of their members, new sessions with case studies will be held in the coming weeks.

Customs4trade has been asked to update the members with the lastest MASP information and e-customs news. Futhermore Porthus will inform how to integrate the new e-customs requirements in your logistic processes. The case study of Alcatel-Lucent and Bayer will show you how this is put into practice.

The sessions will be held in Ghent (21 April), Antwerp (22 April), Liège (28 April) and Charleroi (30 April). The sessions start at 14u.

For more information: www.agoria.be

An amendment to the Customs Code is set to come into effect on 1 July 2009, establishing a prior notification requirement for the transfer of goods across the EU’s external borders. Switzerland and the EU have been in talks since 19 July 2007 on the amendment of the Agreement on the Carriage of Goods. Switzerland is seeking to prevent the introductio of additional controls in Swiss-EU bilateral trade.

Following the terror attacks of 11 September 2001 and subsequent efforts by the US and the World Customs Organization to enhance the security of the supply chain, the EU has also decided for security reasons to require prior notification of goods crossing its external borders as of 1 July 2009. This applies to both imports and exports. The prior notification period is 24 hours for goods crossing by sea, two hours for rail transport, and one hour for road transport, provided that the relevant data is in electronic format. If the summary declaration is not lodged in electronic format, the prior notification period is at least four hours. Exceptions may be made within the context of international  agreements.

Goods traffic between Switzerland and the EU was worth CHF 245 bn in 2006, of which CHF 110 bn was exports and CHF 135 bn in imports. Switzerland is thus the second-largest importer of EU goods. The envisaged prior notification requirement could severely impede the intense exchange of goods between Switzerland and the EU. There are also fears of traffic problems in the border areas.

Since 19  July 2007, the Federal Council has been holding talks with the EU within the context of the agreement of 21 November 1990 on the simplification of controls and formalities for the transport of goods (Agreement on the Carriage of Goods; SR 0.631.242.05). Switzerland is seeking to ensure mutual recognition of risk analysis and further security measures in order to prevent the introduction of additional goods controls in Swiss-EU bilateral trade. A number of solutions are currently under discussion with the EU. 

Source: Swiss Federal Customs Administration