EU customs compliance in a digital age: the future of customs professionals

A short reflection by Elena, Chairman of the Bulgarian National Organization of Customs Agents, on how the EU customs reform and rising automation are reshaping the customs representative profession — essential context for customs brokers and compliance professionals tracking where the profession is heading.

Topics covered:

• Highlights from a customs conference held in Sofia on 20 May, covering the Union Customs Code (UCC) reform, e-commerce flows and fraud, automation for trusted operators, new low-value parcel rules from 1 July, and the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM)
• The go-live of automated, risk-based release of low-risk declarations from trusted operators by the Bulgarian National Customs Agency
• Survey results from over 468 companies on how businesses view the customs representative, gaps in harmonisation across customs points, and consequences of incorrect classification, origin, or value declarations
• Proposed directions for the future of the profession: European-level recognition, harmonised competence and certification standards, symmetrical standards for business and administrations, and clear responsibility for automation tools

For a broader overview of the topic, please watch the full recording. The slides are available in the Resources section.

Please note that this summary was generated using AI, based on the recording and available slides.