The Future of EU Customs

Following the European Commission’s significant proposal to transform the Customs Union this summer, Global Counsel hosted a lunch and roundtable discussion on the proposed reforms.

The roundtable brought together representatives of the EU institutions, key industry players and practitioners, as well as civil society. Arancha González Laya, Chair of the Wise Persons Group on Challenges Facing the Customs Union, and Gerassimos Thomas, Director General for Taxation and Customs Union at the European Commission, and Dierdre Clune, Member of European Parliament (EPP, Ireland) and Rapporteur in IMCO Committee on the proposed Customs Regulation, joined us to share their perspective.

Global Counsel set the scene for the EU Customs Union reform based on a research note. The latest reform resurged some perennial questions around integration and set off to tackle some new practical issues, particularly around e-commerce. The roundtable discussion reflected on the proposed reform, discussing whether – unlike its predecessors - it has the potential to deliver transformative change.