How customs professionals influence EU lawmaking

Eva Cartwright, Senior Manager for Customs and Digitalisation at CLECAT, explains how customs professionals and trade associations can influence EU lawmaking in this second part of the "How EU laws are made" series — a practical look at where and how businesses can make their voice heard in Brussels.

Topics covered:

• CLECAT's structure, membership (24-25 EU member states plus non-EU associations) and role representing freight forwarders, logistics providers and customs agents
• How CLECAT engages with the European Commission, Parliament and Council, and how legislation such as CBAM and EUDR broadened its scope
• The EU legislative "institutional triangle" — Commission, Council of the EU, European Parliament — and the distinction between the Council of the EU and the European Council
• The legislative process illustrated through the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation
• Where and when trade associations have the greatest chance to influence a legislative text, from Commission impact assessments through to the trilogue phase, and how this applies to the ongoing EU customs reform
• The Trade Contact Group (TCG), run by DG TAXUD, its membership criteria and the expert groups it gives access to (ECCG, DIH, CCI/centralised clearance)

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.