From text to practice: the Customs Ecosystem Congress

The EU customs reform has moved from negotiation to implementation. The congress asks what that means in practice - for the administrations, for business and for academia.

The open day of the congress takes place on 14 October 2026 at the University of Liège, Faculty of Law, and marks the first anniversary of the Vilnius Manifesto. It follows a closed working session of the Manifesto signatories held the day before, and opens with the presentation of its conclusions.

The day continues with keynotes from the European Commission and the Council Presidency, followed by two sets of roundtables - an academic section and a private-sector section. Each reads the same four workstreams the Commission has identified for the reform's secondary legislation: Trust and Check and the import process, risk management, the EU Customs Data Hub, and the EU Customs Authority and special procedures. Two readings of the same instruments, one legal and academic, one operational.

The closing session, "Customs Knowledge and Practice Hub: its urgency in the age of technology and AI", asks what the new Union Customs Code means for professional competence. The session brings together contributions from:

• Frank Heijmann, Counsellor Customs, Permanent Representation of the Netherlands to the European Union
• Godfried Smit, Secretary General, European Shippers' Council
• Enrika Naujokė, Director, Lithuanian Customs Practitioners Association
• Arūnas Adomėnas, Customs Attaché, Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union
• Martin Reuter, Head of EUCAB
• Massimo de Gregorio, President of CONFIAD

The day closes with the Teloneum Aureum award and an evening reception.

Partnership

The organisers offer partnership places for the congress. A partner appears in the printed programme and on the congress site, is named in the proceedings and the post-event press release, and receives complimentary registrations for the open day. The highest level adds naming rights for the evening reception.

Partnership is arranged directly with the organisers. For the current levels, availability and deadlines, please contact them through customsbag.eu.

CustomsClear is supporting media for the congress and is not involved in partnership arrangements.