Customs Compliance & Risk Management

Dear Reader,

At the time of writing, European elections are underway. A new Parliament will likely result in shifts in policies and priorities with customs likely being one of the affected areas. The EU customs reform is still in the proposal stage and it remains to be seen how the upcoming changes will influence the debate. This issue continues to explore the details of the EU proposal with two articles on the reform.

As trade policy attempts to address an increasing and constantly evolving range of geopolitical challenges, borders continue to be the natural place to implement, control and enforce a wide variety of measures. In addition to the core topics of classification, valuation and origin, this issue includes three articles on trade policy measures with a strong border element and customs implications. CBAM continues to be an important topic for all affected EU importers as well as for their suppliers worldwide. We invite you to read the article and if you are interested in the topic to also register for our webinar on 19 June. The EU General Product Safety Regulation will replace its older version, the General Product Safety Directive, towards the end of the year. Finally, in the UK, the second phase of the post-Brexit inbound sanitary and phytosanitary controls was introduced towards the end of April. As you may expect, the implementation has not been without a few hiccups.

Winston S. Churchill said that to improve is to change and to be perfect is to change often. CustomsClear is always looking for ways to improve. With this in mind, we’ve decided to review the way we categorise articles published in the CCRM journal. We hope it will help you, our readers, to better understand what type of content to expect and to easily find the type of content that you are looking for.

1. News updates are a short overview of recent developments in a given region such as the EU, UK or Ukraine.
2. Topic spotlights are an in-depth analysis of a given topic based on a recent development.
3. Case law articles summarise a customs-related legal case and outline to implications for practitioners and industry.
4. Country updates are topical articles about recent changes, trends or legislation in a given country.
5. Perspectives are interviews, opinions or position pieces that express the views of the author or an organisation.
6. Explainers are educational texts that cover a specific topic or an element of a topic either as a beginner’s guide or a deep dive.

Enjoy reading this issue!

Dr Anna Jerzewska
Member of the Editorial Board