ECASBA Supports Retention of Guarantee Waivers and Level 2 Simplifications in Union Customs Code

ECASBA has supported moves by Finnish Customs, other EU Member State customs authorities and the Finnish Shipbrokers’ Association to ensure that the guarantee waivers and level 2 simplifications available to EU ship agents under the Modernised Customs Code (MCC) are retained in the Union Customs Code (UCC) which is set to replace it.

Although to UCC is only supposed to vary from the MCC in minor respects directly related to changes in Europe following introduction of the Lisbon Treaty, it has been revealed that a number of provisions of the MCC have either been modified or in some cases not carried over at all.

Loss of the guarantee waiver facility and the level 2 simplifications will significantly increase the financial liabilities and workload of European ship agents and ECASBA’s support for the campaign to ensure their retention was assured.

Chairman Antonio Belmar da Costa therefore wrote in March 2013 to the European Commissioners for Transport, Taxation and Customs Union, senior members of their Directorates General (DG-MOVE and DG-TAXUD) and the chairmen of the European Parliament’s influential Transport and Tourism and Consumer Affairs Committees (RETT and IMCO).  A copy of his letter can be found here.