Dr David Savage
Dr. David Savage has worked in the area of Customs and International Trade since 2003. Currently serving as the Head of Customs Advisory at Deloitte Ireland, David has a career spanning over two decades in both the public and private sectors.
David spent fifteen years as a Chemist in the Irish Customs Laboratory where he advised Irish Customs on tariff classification. He served as the Irish delegate on several European Commission and International committees, including the Customs Code Committee and the World Customs Organisation's Scientific Sub-Committee.
Transitioning to the private sector, David joined BDO Ireland as a Senior Manager in the Customs and International Trade Services department, where he worked with clients to negotiate the changes to the Irish and UK trading environment associated with Brexit. He also led initiatives in trade-related ESG topics such as CBAM an EUDR.
David's current role at Deloitte Ireland involves overseeing Customs advisory services, making representations to EU and national customs authorities, and advising clients on tariff classification and origin matters. His strong technical knowledge, research skills, and exceptional client relationship focus have been instrumental in delivering results and driving the development of service offerings.
David has been a member of the editorial board of the Customs Compliance & Risk Management journal since its inception in March 2020.
Contact information
Content by David Savage
The EU autonomous suspensions and quotas scheme: a glimpse behind the curtain of (an esoteric) Brussels trade committee
Article 28 of the Treaty of Rome provides for the temporary suspension of duties under the Common Customs Tariff (CCT) on imports of raw materials and components for further processing. This is possible where it is established that the EU-based companies are unable to obtain supplies of the product or...
Importing chemicals: CJEU rules who bears the burden of administrative work
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation is the EU’s main instrument to protect human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. The legislation places a registration obligation on the importer. However, the definitions of the importer and import under the REACH...
CBAM: Practical challenges of implementing novel legislation
Authors of the article speak about their personal experiences regarding the early days of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). David Savage, based in Ireland, discusses the challenges encountered by importers in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, while Svitlana Siurik as a trade compliance professional, based in...
Can Brussels save the worlds rainforests?
The link between climate change and biodiversity loss is by now well established. As part of its “Green Deal”, the European Union Deforestation Regulation has been published in the Official Journal. This Regulation seeks to protect the worlds forests by banning certain products from being placed on the EU market....
Brexit Diary - the Journey to Windsor
The Windsor Framework possibly places Northern Ireland in a very enviable position. Importers and exporters from Northern Ireland uniquely have free access to both the UK and EU markets - which should surely attract considerable foreign investment and transform it into a prosperous trading hub. How did the journey to...
The European Union Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism - the launch in 2023
In mid-December 2022, negotiators of the Council and the European Parliament reached an agreement of a provisional and conditional nature on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The agreement needs to be confirmed by ambassadors of the EU member states, and by the European Parliament, and adopted by both institutions...
The “dark art" of classification (challenging a BTI ruling) II
In CCRM Issue 14 we wrote about a case, where a company challenged a BTI ruling. There is news in this case, as the European Commission issued a classification regulation concerning such products. We take this opportunity to update the article, which not only provides information on how to classify...
Targeting compliance in the minefield of customs (trade) rules
‘I would recommend trade compliance to anyone with the ability to distil complex, rigid structures down to a practical reality. Trade compliance rules are a minefield that even the most seasoned professionals cannot confidently claim they have a complete grasp of. If you're willing to constantly be challenged and willing...
The "dark art" of classification (challenging a BTI ruling)
The area of classification is often seen as a dark art and impenetrable to most people. This is of course untrue, but it does require experience and repeated and frequent exposure in order to operate confidently and competently within this discipline. In March 2021, an article reporting on the deliberations...
A book about customs representation: interview with the author
Customs agents (brokers) play a significant role as intermediaries between importers/ exporters and customs. Dr. Momchil Antov wrote a book on the topic of customs representation. We talk to Mr. Antov about the book, customs developments in Bulgaria and what aspects should traders consider when hiring a customs broker.
Popular articles
The EU autonomous suspensions and quotas scheme: a glimpse behind the curtain of (an esoteric) Brussels trade committee
Article 28 of the Treaty of Rome provides for the temporary suspension of duties under the Common Customs Tariff (CCT) on imports of raw materials and components for further processing. This is possible where it is established that the EU-based companies are unable to obtain supplies of the product or...
Importing chemicals: CJEU rules who bears the burden of administrative work
Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation is the EU’s main instrument to protect human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. The legislation places a registration obligation on the importer. However, the definitions of the importer and import under the REACH...
CBAM: Practical challenges of implementing novel legislation
Authors of the article speak about their personal experiences regarding the early days of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). David Savage, based in Ireland, discusses the challenges encountered by importers in the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, while Svitlana Siurik as a trade compliance professional, based in...