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Taxation and Customs Union

EU Customs Certificate of Recognition

Recognition of State-of-the-Art Customs Academic Programmes in the EU

The EU Customs Certificate of Recognition is a prestigious recognition of customs academic programmes. It serves as a testament to the excellence of academic programmes that equip students with optimal customs competency standards across the EU.

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The Certificate

In 2019, the European Commission started recognising academic programmes that equip students with optimal standards of customs competency. 

Since then, European Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes in customs from different EU countries have been awarded certificates of recognition, acknowledging their leading role in raising performance and professionalism in customs. The Certificate of Recognition thus serves as an EU label of excellence for high-quality, modern customs academic programmes. 

The importance of customs cooperation

The EU Customs Certificate of Recognition addresses the modern reality in which protecting the interests of the EU and its citizens whilst facilitating legitimate trade have become increasingly complex. 

Twenty-first century challenges like new security threats, international conflicts, the ongoing migration crisis and digital (r)evolutions call for intensified European customs cooperation, as well as collaboration with the trade community. 

The current context demands a high-performing, connected, agile and future-proof European community of customs professionals, both in the public and private sector. Customs education, training and professional development are the cornerstones required to build and nurture this community, and to stay on par with the latest developments in the world of customs and trade. 

In the continuous war for talent, cutting-edge customs academic programmes are the weapon of choice to attract and develop high-potential customs professionals. 

State-of-the-art customs Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes (or modules within) can greatly enhance customs performance across the EU. Graduates of recognised programmes understand the role of customs in the international supply chain and can combine strategic and management competencies with in-depth customs operational capabilities. 

EU Competency Framework and EU Reference Training Programmes

The European Commission has developed the EU Customs Competency Framework (CustCompEU), a tool that outlines the optimal competency profiles for customs professionals working in both the public and private sectors. CustCompEU is used as a common basis to develop high-quality and consistent training programmes for customs professionals. 

More about CustCompEU 

The Commission has also taken the initiative to devise the EU Reference Training Programmes (RTP) for Academic Customs Education, with a 2023 sectional revision

The EU RTP comprise a suggested comprehensive list of training areas based on commonly agreed customs-specific competencies. It covers the optimal learning content for customs professionals across various higher education programmes: 

  • Customs Master’s programmes 
  • Customs Bachelor’s programmes 
  • Customs modules within a Master’s programme 
  • Customs modules within a Bachelor’s programme 

Customs academic programmes aligned with the EU RTP for Academic Education that apply for EU recognition obtain the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition. 

Recognised Programmes

Recognised customs academic programmes (or modules thereof) can make use of the official EU Customs Certificate of Recognition identification statement and are included in a publicly available list. 

View list of EU Recognised Customs Academic Programmes 

Benefits

For Academic Programme Providers: universities, business schools and colleges can promote the programme using the official EU identification statement and certificate. 

The EU Customs Certificate of Recognition is a unique chance to benchmark the academic programme against acknowledged competencies that will enable customs professionals to successfully deal with future challenges. 

For customs students: the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition reassures prospective students that the programme will equip them with the competencies needed for a successful customs career, both in customs administrations and private organisations. 

An EU-recognised customs Bachelor’s or Master’s degree reassures employers that the candidate is well-equipped to start, or boost, a career in customs with an optimal competency skill set, thereby improving the employee’s career perspectives. 

For the Customs Union: the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition is a cornerstone in promoting the establishment of higher education customs academic programmes. 

As such, it drives consistency in the quality, design and delivery of these programmes throughout the EU. This will in turn boost the performance of customs in Europe through more unified customs programmes that arm their participants with the competencies they need for a successful career. 

Overview of awarding process

Criteria

Eligible academic programmes should meet three criteria: 

  • Be accredited in line with the Bologna Process, typically provided by governmental or officially authorised accreditation bodies. Non-accredited academic programmes must demonstrate that the accreditation process is ongoing; 
  • Be customs-specific; 
  • Be in line with the EU RTP for Academic Customs Education

Documentation

Interested parties can apply by completing the application documentation as follows: 

  1. Complete the Initiation Request Document, Form 1 
  2. Complete the Academic Programme Outline, Form 2 
  3. the Competencies Addressed by the Programme, Form 3 (A-D), depending on the type of the academic programme: 
    1. Form 3A for Master’s programmes
    2. Form 3B for Bachelor’s programmes
    3. Form 3C for modules within a Master’s programmes
    4. Form 3D for modules within a Bachelor’s programmes
  4. Complete the Deviations and Motivation, Form 4

Submission

Submit the Application Forms and accompanying documentation (e.g. accreditation documentation, course catalogue etc.) to EU-CertificateOfRecognitionatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EU-CertificateOfRecognition[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) 

Support for application 

To support universities, business schools and colleges in the application process, the European Commission has developed the following: 

For detailed information, please see the EU Customs Certificate of Recognition Process 

 Assessment of applications 

All applications are assessed by an international Assessment Board composed of training experts, academics and customs professionals under the lead and supervision of the European Commission. 

Applications that may be conditionally approved by the European Commission are required to go through the verification phase. The applicant has to take the required measures to meet the conditions set by the European Commission in obtaining recognition. 

This initiative is supported by the EU Customs Programme. 

More information

For more information, contact the EU Certificate of Recognition Secretariat: EU-CertificateOfRecognitionatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (EU-CertificateOfRecognition[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)  

For questions about the EU, contact Europe Direct: 00 800 6789 1011* 

*The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). 

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