Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-06-04-Speech-3-275"
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"en.20080604.27.3-275"2
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"Madam President, I am pleased that you allow me to react to the report prepared by Jean-Pierre Audy and unanimously adopted by the Committee on International Trade on 6 May. I congratulate the rapporteur, who perfectly highlighted the essential contribution of customs legislation and customs services to an effective implementation of our common trade policy, and also identified the important challenges that the Union is facing in this matter.
My services are doing their best to ensure that regulations or agreements on international trade take fully into account the contribution, but also the necessary constraints, of customs concepts and procedures. They also actively defend the Community interests in international organisations dealing with customs matters, in particular the World Customs Organisation and the World Trade Organisation.
That is particularly the case concerning the rules of origin, both non-preferential and preferential. On 27 May, the Committee on International Trade was informed of the state of play of the reform of these rules for the Generalised System of Preferences. I am confident that, based on the various contributions received, the Commission will be in a position to find support from the Member States to complete this reform.
That is also true concerning the WTO negotiations on trade facilitation. The Commission is still convinced at this stage that a trade facilitation agreement should remain one of the pillars of the conclusion of the Doha Round, and should not be removed from it. Of course, the results of the negotiations on trade facilitation achieved so far should in any case not be lost.
Important steps have been taken to respond to the threats posed by counterfeited, pirated and dangerous products. New procedures have been introduced into customs legislation for the purpose of guaranteeing security and safety. The modernised Community Customs Code, published today, and the decision on the electronic customs published in January represent major milestones in the constant but dynamic contribution of customs legislation to both the protection of European citizens and the competitiveness of our economy by facilitating legitimate trade. They constitute examples of good interinstitutional cooperation.
The report also legitimately insists on the need for further harmonisation and uniformity in the implementation of the customs legislation, and for further improving the organisation and working methods of our customs administrations.
In my view, further harmonisation in implementing customs legislation can be achieved through the following initiatives: the current work on the implementation of the modernised Customs Code and the e-Customs Decision; a new programme for targeted monitoring of the correct and uniform application of customs legislation, and an assessment, in partnership with the Member States, of the needs and possibilities to approximate customs offences and penalties. The ‘Customs 2013’ Programme also represents an important tool in that respect.
To conclude, I would like to react to the points of the report concerning the US 100% scanning initiative. The Commission is using all possible channels to make the US authorities understand that they have chosen the wrong way to secure the supply chain. The Commission provided the US Government in April with a solid report, prepared with the contribution of Member States, which stresses the negative impact of this measure on the European ports, international trade and maritime traffic."@en1
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