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Taxation and Customs Union
News article16 March 2021Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union

Commission welcomes provisional political agreement on new €1 billion package to finance customs control equipment in EU Member States

The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today by the European Parliament and EU Member States on the new Customs Control Equipment Instrument for 2021-2027.

The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached today by the European Parliament and EU Member States on the new Customs Control Equipment Instrument for 2021-2027. The new instrument makes €1 billion available for EU countries to buy, upgrade and maintain state-of-the-art customs control equipment such as x-ray scanners, automated number plate detection systems and other non-intrusive detectors for border crossing points as well as a variety of laboratory equipment for goods analysis. It will contribute to the implementation of the Customs Action Plan adopted in September last year.

Proposed by the Commission in 2018 as part of the Integrated Border Management Fund, the Customs Control Equipment Instrument addresses calls from Member States for support in financing detection equipment that help control goods crossing the EU’s external borders. The initiative has the twin aims of improving customs performance, in particular by contributing to adequate and equivalent results of customs controls throughout the EU, while helping EU customs authorities to act as one single entity.

Today’s agreement is subject to formal confirmation by the European Parliament and the Council. Once in place, the instrument will support Member States in purchasing, maintaining or upgrading relevant, modern, state-of-the-art, secure, safe and environmentally-friendly customs control equipment, which will contribute to raising the Customs Union to the next level.

For More Information

Factsheet

Press release

Customs Action Plan

Proposal establishing the "Customs Control Equipment” instrument

Integrated Border Management Fund

Recovery plan

2021-2027 long-term EU budget & Next Generation EU

Details

Publication date
16 March 2021
Author
Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union