Circular economy – emerging challenges for customs practitioners

Circular economy is increasingly becoming a topic for customs and trade compliance specialists. The relevant legislation is reshaping entire sectors, e.g., recent developments on vehicle circularity (the regulation will, for example, improve traceability of end-of-life vehicles and ban the export of non-roadworthy used vehicles).

Topics

CBAM: new challenges and opportunities for customs representatives in the circular economy

The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), applicable from 1 January 2026, introduces new environmental and financial obligations for importers of certain carbon-intensive goods. Because its implementation is closely tied to customs declarations, CBAM significantly reshapes the role of customs representatives. Beyond compliance, CBAM also connects customs procedures with sustainability goals and the transition toward a circular economy by encouraging lower-carbon production, material efficiency, and more transparent supply chains.

We will discuss the following points:

• How CBAM works and its environmental objectives
• The impact of CBAM on customs representation
• The responsibilities associated with the status of Authorized CBAM Declarant

Waste or resources: customs perspectice

We will discuss the challenges that customs authorities and businesses face when sending waste that serves as a resource for the recipient, including:

• Customs valuation – can the value of goods be negative?
• EU sustainable trade objectives and waste export restrictions
• Origin of waste – risks and opportunities.

Speakers

Evguenia Dereviankine
Lawyer, founder at PARADIGMES Cabinet d'avocats, France

Specialised in environmental and customs law, Evguenia is the founder of PARADIGMES law firm. Evguenia's personal area of expertise covers: customs regulations; transport regulations; rules for placing products on the market; industrial environmental law; waste management regulations; customs duties and environmental taxation (including ETS and CBAM). 

Monika Bielskienė
Attorney at Law, Senior Manager at PwC Lithuania, and Candidate PhD at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania

Monika is an attorney-at-law, manager in the Indirect Tax Team at PwC Lithuania. She consults clients on VAT and customs issues, represents clients in communication with tax authorities, tax audits and disputes. She is a lecturer in internal and external trainings on VAT and customs. Monika also holds a customs agent certificate. She is a PhD candidate at Vytautas Magnus University.

Moderator

Enrika Naujoke
CEO of CustomsClear, Lithuania

Enrika Naujoke is CEO of CustomsClear, the European customs and trade knowledge platform (www.customsclear.net), which serves as a trusted resource for practitioners and experts to navigate the complexities of customs compliance and trade, leveraging the latest in technology and AI to make regulatory knowledge more accessible and actionable.

About customs roundtables

Customs is a complex area and it’s difficult to stay up to date with all the latest developments.

Customs roundtables are designed for the customs community to come together and exchange views regarding various areas of customs. This can be either specific cases and questions or wider industry trends. The discussions will go into technical details and will allow participants to learn from peers and exchange views and experiences. It’s an excellent opportunity to have an open discussion on some of the most pressing customs issues. We aim to create an open and supportive live forum that also offers the facility to continue discussions online.

We welcome customs experts and experts-to-be in all areas of customs (origin, valuation, special procedures etc) and from all backgrounds (legal, in-house, academic, consulting etc).

Register to the customs roundtables by signing up for a Membership Plan and get access to the CustomsClear Customs Practitioners’ Forum.

Interested? Join the roundtable!

You have a few options to gain access to this event:

• Participants of the Customs Clearance and Trade Compliance in the EU course have free access to the event.
• Everyone who has acquired one of the Essential/Individual/Team membership plans has access to the sessions.
• None of the above but you want to join? Invest 49 EUR (excluding VAT) to attend the session.

Contact us

If you need further information or have any questions, please feel free to contact us at info@customsclear.net