News Release
Frits Bolkestein
November
18, 2003
No. 70/03
EU, US BRIDGE GAP ON RECIPROCAL TRANSATLANTIC CARGO
SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS
Representatives for the European Commission and the United States in Brussels
today initialed a transatlantic agreement that aims
to ensure the
security of containers from all locations that are imported into, trans-shipped
through or transit the EU and the US. The agreement
will guarantee the right balance between security and trade facilitation by ensuring
that general customs control of legitimate trade takes due account of security
concerns and by creating equal levels and standards of controls for US and EU
operators.
Once formally adopted by the EU Council
of Ministers, the agreement, signed by US Ambassador to the EU Rockwell Schnabel
and European Commission Director General for
Customs and Taxation Robert Verrue, will expand
the existing
EU-US Customs Cooperation Agreement dating from 1997 beyond classic customs
cooperation to include the customs-related aspects of securing the logistics chain
in international transport.
European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs
Frits Bolkestein welcomed the result of the negotiations: "This is
an important step forward. The EU and the US
will be working hand in hand to secure trade and to ensure equal conditions for
the US and the EU."
The
agreement also establishes a working group that will elaborate the necessary technical
elements of expanded cooperation and is due to begin its work very shortly.
The
agreement complements US initiatives launched after the attacks of
September 11, 2001 to establish international cooperation so as to integrate
security checks in normal customs controls before goods leave a country. The Commission
fully shares the concerns of the United States about improving security and considers
that the most effective means to meet these concerns is though cooperation with
the US at the EU level. The agreement thus prevents differential treatment of
member states and trade diversion within the EU.
The
agreement will also ensure that legitimate transatlantic trade is not hindered
by the increased security arrangements and that control standards are equalized
for US and EU operators. An important element of cooperation will be the availability
of advance information to perform sophisticated targeting as implemented by the
so-called 24 hours-rule of the US and as proposed by the Commission in July.
For further information please visit:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/taxation_customs/customs/
information_notes/containers_en.htm.
ANNEX to the Agreement between the European Community and the United States of
America on intensifying and broadening the Customs Cooperation and Mutual Assistance
in Customs Matters (CMAA) to include co-operation on Container Security and Related
Matters
The
Working Group created under Paragraph 5 of the Agreement between the European
Community and the United States of America on intensifying and broadening the
CMAA to include co-operation on Container Security and Related Matters will examine
and make recommendations on issues including, but not limited to, the following
areas of co-operation between US Customs and Border Protection and Customs authorities
in the European Community with a view to ensuring that general customs controls
of international trade take due account of security concerns:
-
defining minimum standards, in particular in view of participating in CSI, and
recommending methods by which those standards may be met;
-
identifying and broadening the application of best practices concerning security
controls of international trade, especially those developed under CSI;
- defining and establishing standards to the greatest extent
practicable for the information required to identify high-risk shipments imported
into, trans-shipped through or transiting the United States and the European Community;
- improving and establishing standards to the greatest extent
practicable for targeting and screening such high-risk shipments, to include information
exchange, the use of automated targeting systems and the development of minimum
standards for inspection technologies and screening methodologies;
- improving and establishing standards to the greatest extent
practicable for industry partnership-programs designed to improve supply chain
security and facilitate the movement of legitimate trade;
- identifying any regulatory or legislative changes that
would be necessary to implement the recommendations of the Working Group; and
- considering the type of documents and measures further
implementing the intensified and broadened customs co-operation on the issues
set out in this Annex.
Press Contacts: |
Anthony Gooch
202-862-9523
|
Maeve O'Beirne
202-862-9549
|
