Article • 21.05.2025
Customs reform: Europe plans customs for the future
Trends and Perspectives
In terms of customs, the countries of the EU will be moving closer together in the future. This is the foundation of EU customs reform. The big picture is clearly visible, even if the project is still in its earliest stages and the timeline will span many years. As a customs software provider, DAKOSY is assisting in this process and contributing its experience to both consultations and work groups.
The first impetus came in mid-2023 with draft regulations for EU customs reform. The reform proposals are currently being discussed in the Parliament and Council of the European Union. But it is not only there that the committees are addressing the EU's long-term project. DAKOSY's customs expert Lutz Hagen is following the developments. In his view, things are heading in the right direction: “Looking to the future, when this mammoth project is finally implemented, things will become simpler, faster and more efficient for all parties - economic operators and customs authorities alike. The entire system will be restructured in terms of security policy and customs clearance.” However, this will not happen overnight. Discussions are focusing on a transitional period of ten to fifteen years.
One digital gateway
At the heart of the reform is a data-driven approach with an EU customs data platform (EU Customs Data Hub) managed by a dedicated EU customs authority. The long-term goal is for all economic operators in the EU to send information about their imports and exports, which they had previously submitted to their respective national customs authorities, directly via this single channel.
EU importers currently have to deal with 27 different national customs authorities and more than 111 different interfaces and IT systems. In the coming years, the aim will be to make the new framework more concrete. Hagen cites examples: “Restrictions on data access need to be defined in more detail. National VAT systems need to be harmonized. Differing rules on imports need to be standardized.” The list could go on and on.
Growing across Europe
For DAKOSY, the customs reform presents an opportunity to expand throughout the whole of Europe. “If standardized rules for procedures apply throughout the EU, we can make our customs software available to economic operators in other member states. Thanks to our platforms, we have developed a high level of expertise in exchanging and consolidating data between many participants,” explains DAKOSY CEO Simon Lembke, assessing the impact on the company's business model.
A preview in exports
For exports, the first step towards centralized customs clearance has already been taken. The EU has created a legal framework that allows for declarations with the customs office of export and the customs office of presentation to be located in different EU countries. Denmark is one of the first countries to make use of this new flexibility and has integrated this option into its national customs system. Hagen highlights the practical benefits: “For example, a company based in Hamburg can submit its export declaration in the Hanseatic city and then physically ship the goods via Odense in Denmark. The Danish and German customs systems exchange the relevant data for the declaration and inspection.” Even if this makes things easier within only one small area, it gives a preview of the upcoming increase in digital collaboration.
The EU Commission anticipates that the EU reform will significantly reduce the costs and duration of customs clearances for economic operators. Paperwork and formalities will be reduced to a minimum and customs duties will no longer be paid upon import, but in future at regular intervals. As a result of the proposed simplifications, companies would be able to reduce their compliance costs by up to 2.7 billion euros per year, the EU Commission expects. The EU customs data platform should also reduce the financial burden on the individual member states. According to EU calculations, centralized IT development and administration could save up to 2 billion euros a year in IT development and operating costs.
ICS2 turns the logic around
Although not technically an EU customs data platform, the Shared Trader Interface (STI) is the first central entry point for data exchange. Operated by the EU Commission, it is used for the EU's Import Control System (ICS2) for safety and security. “It is the first procedure in which the EU has turned the principle around - away from a ring system with national customs offices and towards a centralized EU system,” Lembke points out. He clarifies: “In the past, the ICS declaration first went to the national customs office at the EU border. All subsequent customs offices of entry were informed via their different interfaces. With the STI, there is now one single point for digital reporting. All relevant information is forwarded from there to the national customs systems.”
This change has had a positive effect for DAKOSY. Hagen reports: “With the STI, our software is able to serve 27 EU countries in a single stroke. The technical and content-related support that we offer our customers has been particularly appreciated.” DAKOSY sees this area as one of its core competencies and a major added value for economic operators, also in terms of the EU customs reform. The EU is creating a framework with the digital customs system, but it is not part of its responsibilities to provide consulting for the end consumer, Hagen explains. This will require companies such as DAKOSY that are both proficient in technology and familiar with logistical processes.
It is also likely that the EU will demand more and more information, data and specifications about shipments. In future, customs may also take on tasks that have nothing to do with customs as a monitoring authority. One of the EU Commission's objectives is to better equip customs authorities to uphold common strategic priorities such as global human rights and the fight against climate change. The conclusion for Lembke: “Importers must be prepared for customs to request additional and more precise data about supply chain participants. This means that data must be provided in a format that can be processed so that it can be retrieved in a structured way and then further processed digitally.”
