Evaluation of the electronic customs implementation in the EU : final report

The European Union's e-Customs initiative is a project initiated by the European Commission that aims to replace paper-format customs procedures with EU-wide electronic ones. The project's objectives are to enhance security at the EU's external borders, to ensure the proper collection of customs duties, and to facilitate trade. By establishing secure, interoperable electronic customs systems for the exchange of data, the initiative aims to facilitate import and export procedures through a reduction in compliance and administrative costs and improved clearance times. The e-Customs Decision is one of the key pieces of legislation which provides a legal base for the initiative. The Decision details the interoperable systems to be introduced, deadlines for their establishment and foresees a division of tasks and human, budgetary and technical resources between the Commission and the Member States. Crucially, the e-Customs Decision led to the generation of the electronic customs Multi-Annual Strategic Plan (MASP), a management and planning tool developed in collaboration between the Commission and Member States in order to set the strategic framework and milestones for implementation of the e-Customs initiative.