Proposals to Reform the EU Customs Union

Abstract

On 17 May 2023 the European Commission published the most ambitious and comprehensive proposals to reform the EU Customs Union since the establishing of the Customs Union in 1968. The Commission’s proposals follow a series of studies and consultations and is intended as a response to tensions that have arisen in the customs world as a result of a huge increase in trade volumes, a rapidly rising number of EU standards to be checked at borders, the shifting geopolitical reality and various crises. This contribution provides an overview of and critical reflection on the highlights of the proposals, enabling readers with different levels of expertise in customs law to get familiar with what has been proposed by the European Commission and to pave the way for further, in-depth research on these proposals EU Customs Union, reform, European Commission, customs legislation, UCC, e-commerce, importer, sanctions, EU Customs Data Hub, Trust and Check traders