Customs programme – cooperation in the field of customs

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2021/444 establishing the EU’s programme for cooperation in the field of customs

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATION?

It sets up the customs programme, the European Union (EU) programme for cooperation in the field of customs, for 2021–2027.
The main aim of the programme is to further modernise the EU’s customs union. The programme supports the EU customs authorities in obtaining the necessary administrative capacity and the related IT environment to carry out their work:
- to make it easier to handle increasing trade volumes and to deal with new types of trade;
- to better protect the EU from harmful products and substances;
- to better protect EU businesses;
- to make legitimate trade flows easier.

KEY POINTS

Specific objectives

The programme aims to support:

the development and uniform implementation of customs legislation and policy;
customs cooperation;
administrative and IT capacity-building, including human skills and training, and the development and operation of EU electronic systems;
innovation in customs policy.

Budget

The budget allocation for the programme’s implementation is €950 million for the 2021–2027 period.

Participation of non-EU countries and external experts

Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidate countries, countries covered by the European neighbourhood policy, and other non-EU countries may participate in the programme if they meet the conditions laid down in an agreement about non-EU countries’ participation in EU programmes.
Representatives of non-customs governmental authorities, including those from non-EU countries not participating in the programme, academics and representatives of international and other relevant organisations, representatives of business and representatives of civil society organisations may take part in specific programme activities as external experts, invited on an ad hoc basis.

Eligible initiatives

Development and operation of IT systems for customs (only the common components and not the national systems).
Meetings and other collaborative activities (e.g. workshops, project groups, study visits).
Common training concepts, products and activities (e.g. eLearning modules).
Other service contracts (e.g. studies, communication initiatives).

Work programme

The programme is implemented by means of multiannual work programmes drawn up and adopted by the European Commission by means of implementing acts.

Monitoring, reporting and evaluation

The regulation’s Annex II lists the indicators used to report on the progress of the programme in achieving its general and specific objectives. The Commission may amend and/or supplement this list by means of delegated acts.
The annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/2565, which supplements Regulation (EU) 2021/444, sets out additional indicators to measure the outputs, results and impacts of the programme. It applies retroactively from 1 January 2022 to ensure alignment with the start of the reporting period. These indicators supplement those listed in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2021/444 which are suitable for the purpose of overall monitoring of performance but do not sufficiently enable a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the programme in achieving its general and specific objectives.
The Commission is responsible for carrying out an interim evaluation of the programme no more than 4 years after its launch and a final evaluation within 4 years of its completion.

FROM WHEN DOES THE REGULATION APPLY?

It has applied since 1 January 2021.

BACKGROUND

The legal basis of this regulation covers customs cooperation as laid down in Article 33 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the internal market (Article 114 TFEU) and the common commercial policy (Article 207 TFEU).

Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 establishes the Union Customs Code, setting out the general rules and procedures that apply to goods brought into or taken out of the EU’s customs territory (see summary).

For further information, see:

EU customs strategy (European Commission)
Customs co-operation programmes (European Commission)
EU Customs Union: Facts and figures (European Commission).

MAIN DOCUMENT

Regulation (EU) 2021/444 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2021 establishing the Customs programme for cooperation in the field of customs and repealing Regulation (EU) No 1294/2013 (OJ L 87, 15.3.2021, pp. 1–16).