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ECJ gives the classification of tube/fitting pipes
The Judgment n. C-368/22 issued by the Sixth Chamber of the European Court of Justice states that: question: whether CN subheading 7307 22 10 must be interpreted as meaning that stainless steel tube or pipe fittings, other than cast fittings, which have an external thread and do not constitute short tube sections with an internal thread, used to join two tubes by screwing them into that fitting or by simply pushing them into that fitting, may be regarded as being ‘sleeves’ under that subheading. Main criterion: “…the decisive criterion for the classification of goods for customs purposes is in general to be sought in their objective characteristics and properties as…
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EU Customs reform, AEO and trusted operators scheme
The Commission working document “ Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013…” finds out the need to implement the scheme of the AEO (trusted and checked operators) by following the following areas: ‒ AEO traders can operate under a trust and check approach if they have their electronic system interacting with the customs’ systems on a constant basis and thereby allowing customs to have access to all relevant data directly from the operators’ systems. They can self-monitor the compliance of their goods and calculate and…
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The next Union Customs code and the customs action plan
The new Union Customs Code is the answer to CAP (Customs Action Plan) by which the EU reacts to this problem: the current customs system is burdensome for legitimate trade. And customs authorities struggle in their mission to protect the EU, its financial interests, citizens, enterprises, the Single Market, and the environment. In particular, there are the points highlighted: Customs authorities struggle in their mission to protect the EU; Compliance with customs formalities is burdensome for legitimate trade; The customs model is not fit for e-commerce; Limited data quality, access, and analysis; Member States diverge significantly in the application of the customs rules. In particular, the working document reports that:…
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The context of the new Union Customs Code: the next challenges of the customs
The Commission staff working document impact assesment report “Accompanying the document Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Union Customs Code and the European Union Customs Authority, and repealing Regulation (EU) No 952/2013” has been published on 22.05.2023 and defines the context where the new Union Customs Code will be placed. This context is the Custom Union founded in 1968 which manages the external border of the EU by enforcing the rules governing the cross-border movement of goods, including by imposing a common tariff on goods imported from third countries. Customs traditionally collect customs duties and other taxes on imports and are…
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EU Parliament, circular economy and import export flow
On 25.04.2023 the EU Parliament published a short report about the circular economy where it is stated that: “…The circular economy is a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended…”. Moreoever, this report, about the need of reduction of raw material dependence, hilights that The world’s population is growing and with it the demand for raw materials. However, the supply of crucial raw materials is limited; Finite supplies also means some EU countries are dependent on other countries for their raw materials. According to Eurostat,…
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Customs classification, parts and European Court of Justice
The European Court of Justice Chamber X with case n.725/21 of 9.03.2023 , stated that: in the customs nomenclature there is not a definition of ‘part’ ; part does not cover items which are not indispensable, for the completed good, to fulfil its function. It is useful to share the following points of the judgement: “….in accordance with General Rule 1 for the interpretation of the CN, the tariff classification of goods is determined according to the terms of the headings and section or chapter notes of that nomenclature. In the interests of legal certainty and ease of control, the decisive criterion for the tariff classification of those goods must…
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European Union, circular economy and customs compliance
The report “Squaring the Circle. Policies from Europe’s Circular Economy Transition” published in December 2022 by the highlights (among other thinks) the following peculiarities of the European circular economy: The private sector is playing a crucial role in the enforcement of the circular economy with its trade and environmental policies; Customs controls on the ecodesign compliance of the products (like the batteries). Indeed: “…New policy proposals are shifting the focus upstream toward more sustainable and circular products. With the proposal for a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) published in March 2022, the EC has presented a framework that will allow it to regulate circularity requirements for almost all…
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CBAM ,climate mitigation, Q&A
The European Commission released on 10.05.2023 a memo with “Questions and Answers: Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)”. In this documenti t is analysed the following topic: “…How will you engage with third countries and industry going forward?…”. The answer is that: “… When preparing the CBAM proposal, the Commission already consulted stakeholders widely, both through an open public consultation and more targeted consultations. In addition, the Commission engaged in extensive bilateral consultations with public authorities in EU and non-EU countries, business associations, individual companies and NGOs. Targeted consultations were also undertaken with senior managers and associations from the basic materials sectors, manufacturers, NGOs and policymakers. During this transition period we…
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Classification, green goods and Customs reform
On 17.05.2023 the EU Commission released the communication “ Customs reform: Taking the Customs Union to the next level” COM(2023) 257 final. This communication underlines that: “…the EU should take a leading role in developing a global green customs policy…” and “…There are several areas in which global customs can support environmental objectives. Besides greening customs administrations themselves41, modernising the classification of goods in line with the objectives of the twin transitions should be part of the ongoing strategic review of the harmonised system convention. Options for greening the harmonised systems (HS) classification range from issuing lists of environmental goods, to changing the structure of the HS, or even alterations…
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EU Customs Reform: AEO, environment, simplifications and digitalization
On 17.05.2023 the EU Commission released the communication “ Customs reform: Taking the Customs Union to the next level” COM(2023) 257 final. This interesting document starts with a short message of Ursula von der Leyen for which “…It is time to take the Customs Union to the next level, equipping it with a stronger framework that will allow us to better protect our citizens and our Single Market. I will propose a bold package for an integrated European approach to reinforce customs risk management and support effective controls by the Member States…”. The three principles on which is based the reform of the european customs are: An efficient Customs…