UCC Work Programme Progress Report 2022

On 10 February 2023, the European Commission published the fourth report on the progress achieved in the development of the electronic systems provided for under Article 278a of the Union Customs Code (UCC). This report was submitted to the Council and the European Parliament.

The Commission and Member States are working intensively to implement the electronic systems envisaged under the UCC since its entry into force on 1 May 2016. Once those systems are in place, all contacts between economic operators and customs authorities, and between customs authorities, will be carried out electronically. This digitalisation process will not only make the customs processes more effective in their role of protecting the financial interests of the Union and addressing the safety and security threats upon its citizens, but also speed up and streamline customs clearance. The UCC offers a number of very important simplifications for trade such as centralised clearance, entry into the declarant’s records, an EU harmonised trader interface or portal… which will be implemented across the Union and bring tangible benefits to the traders involved in customs business.

A considerable number of these systems have been successfully deployed and are in use such as the system for the UCC Customs Decisions, the Import Control System 2 – Release 1, with the rest of the systems to be progressively deployed by 2025.

Building further on the outcome of last year’s report, the Commission concluded in this report that the Member States continue to face challenges and risks in ensuring the deployment of the UCC electronic systems by the specified deadlines. Despite the measures taken (e.g. closer monitoring by the Commission, additional resources by the Member States), a majority of the Member States have not been able to mitigate properly the risks and delays did actually occur for the national entry and import projects which were envisaged to be deployed at the latest by 31 December 2022.

Considering this setback in the implementation progress, certain Member States submitted a formal derogation request to the Commission, in accordance with Article 6(4) of the UCC, asking for an extension of the systems’ deployment deadlines for

• Notification of Arrival, Temporary Storage, Presentation Notification,
• National Import Systems Upgrade (including Special Procedures – import),
• Import Control System 2 – Release 2.

The Commission carefully assessed the derogation requests and the justifications provided by each Member State in terms of specific circumstances. This resulted in the acceptance of a number (not all) of Member States derogation requests, as reflected in the corresponding Commission implementing decisions for the systems related to entry and/or import*.

In addition, the progress is also at risk for the trans-European systems NCTS - Phase 5, Automated Export System and Centralised Clearance at Import as a few Member States reported delays in their developments of the national components for these projects.

Member States are strongly encouraged by the Commission to reassess their strategies, resources and governance approaches to avoid further spill-over of delays on other projects and to avoid failing to meet the overall legal deadline of 31 December 2025.

The overall planning of the projects is defined in the UCC Work Programme, whilst the overview of the specific national plans per Member State and per project can be consulted here

Read the staff working document.

*Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/235 of 1 February 2023 granting a derogation requested by certain Member States pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council to use means other than electronic data-processing techniques for the exchange and storage of information for the notification of arrival of a sea-going vessel or of an aircraft

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/234 of 1 February 2023 granting a derogation requested by certain Member States pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council to use means other than electronic data-processing techniques for the exchange and storage of information for the Presentation Notification related to goods brought into the customs territory of the Union

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/236 of 1 February 2023 granting a derogation requested by certain Member States pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council to use means other than electronic data-processing techniques for the exchange and storage of information for the Temporary Storage declaration related to non-Union goods presented to customs

Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2023/237 of 1 February 2023 granting a derogation requested by certain Member States to use means other than electronic data-processing techniques for the exchange and storage of information related to the customs declaration for goods brought into the customs territory of the Union laid down in Articles 158, 162, 163, 166, 167, 170 to 174, 201, 240, 250, 254 and 256 of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down the Union Customs Code