Belgian Presidency Informal Customs Union Working Party – Liège

10 June 2024

On the 10^th of June, 2024, Mr Maarten Boot, Policy Advisor at FEPORT participated to the Informal Customs Union Working Party organised and hosted by the Belgian Presidency of the European Union in the City Hall of Liège.

The event allowed representatives from the private sector and consumer organisations to provide their feedback regarding the proposed Union Customs Code Reform, to an audience composed of Member States' Customs Attachés as well as representatives from DG TAXUD.

The meeting included two sessions, featuring ten presentations from different trade associations from the transport and logistics sectors.

The themes evoked in the presentations included the transition from AEO to Trust and Check, indirect customs representation, cargo security as well as the need for a harmonised implementation and the connection between the Data Hub and the European Maritime Single Window environment (EMSWe).

Mr. Maarten Boot (Policy Advisor) presented on behalf of FEPORT, underlining the need for effective storage procedures that take into account the operational realities of ports and (maritime) logistics chains.

Many presenters expressed the hope that similar opportunities of cooperation and exchange of views between stakeholders' associations and policy makers become more recurrent in the future so as to ensure that the Customs Reform meets the needs of citizens, companies and regulators.