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Can companies rely on Binding Tariff Information (BTI) issued for their competitors’ goods for the classification of their own products? This question was examined in the European Court of Justice … (ECJ) in its ruling, which raised the issue of the classification of optical fibre cables under Combined Nomenclature (CN) subheadings 8544 70 00 and 9001 10 90. The case also considered the principles of legal certainty and legitimate expectations that businesses increasingly need to rely upon to justify various decisions.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has recently, after several pilots (amongst others in the Netherlands), launched an online tool for the verification of preferential origin statements. … The tool is named Genesis, after the ancient Greek word for origin, which is also the name of the first book of the Holy Bible and one of the world’s most popular progressive rock bands. So the obvious questions are: how progressive is this tool and does it rock?

The technological advances we have witnessed in recent times affect all areas of our lives. Customs is no exception. On the one hand, there are a large number of new products equipped with advanced … technologies, including AI, that need to be classified, cleared and taxed upon import. On the other hand, customs authorities and private sector customs professionals are using the latest technologies for their professional purposes, in particular for tariff classification. How does this technology boom affect both sides of the customs industry? Does it make life easier for customs professionals or does it create new headaches? Experts from around the world tried to find answers to these complex questions during the 22nd Authors' Meeting. Below is an overview of the main points provided by experts from some of the EU Member States, the UK, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Brazil and Israel.

Developments in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) are the latest buzzword. However, the majority of people do not understand the technology behind it as well as its potential implications … for our lives and, more specifically, the field of customs and border management. In this article, we will give a short overview of the operational principles of AI tools and will provide insights into EU regulatory attempts to tame this disruptor of multiple areas of the world as we know and understand it.

The electronic customs declaration consists of data elements that should be harmonised worldwide so that customs can verify the data flow from the exporting country to the importing country. … The World Customs Organisation has developed the WCO data model, which provides a universal language for cross-border data exchange. The EU has adopted this model for its own purposes and for trans-European use.

Electronic customs (‘e-customs’) is a major development for the EU's Customs Union. The project aims to replace paper-format customs procedures with EU-wide electronic procedures to create a … more efficient and modern customs environment. Each year the European Commission releases a report on progress in developing electronic systems. The latest report was published in February 2023.

EU Regulation provides a new legal framework to improve information sharing and digital cooperation between customs administrations and other government authorities in charge of enforcing non-customs … formalities at the EU border. What are these non-customs formalities?

The ‘single window’ is a trade facilitation measure, allowing parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single-entry point to fulfil all import, … export, and transit-related regulatory requirements, thus reducing duplication, time, and costs.