The event was organised by the European Commission Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) through the Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN), in collaboration with the Swedish Customs.
The Seminar brought together more than 190 participants from 39 countries, primarily representing customs laboratories and partner organisations from the European Union, candidate countries, several international partners, academia and private sector. Participants attended from Armenia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Several leading international organisations and European institutions also participated in the Seminar, including the World Customs Organization, the European Consumer Organisation, the World Anti-Doping Agency, Europol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
The three-day programme featured interactive plenary and parallel sessions, with more than 60 presentations and more than 20 posters addressing the current challenges and activities of the customs laboratories in the EU and worldwide. In addition, two manufacturers also showcased their latest innovative equipment.
The main topics included:
- Customs laboratories and crisis preparedness,
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) for tariff classification and data analysis
- Consumer protection
- New equipment (and other innovative aspects)
- Analytical methods on classification
- Drugs, precursors and NPS (New Psychoactive Substances)
- Cannabis and cannabinoids
- Food and medicine fraud
- Excise products
- Quality management
- WCO laboratories and international cooperation
- Customs Border Adjustment Management (CBAM)
- Chemical weapons convention
Throughout the Seminar, participants engaged actively in lively discussions and valuable knowledge exchange, creating a highly interactive and productive atmosphere. The event was widely appreciated, and many of the key policy developments discussed such as e-commerce, the use of AI, Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and international cooperation will be taken forward through future CLEN activities.
- Publication date
- 9 July 2026
- Author
- Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union