The European Commission has launched the first phase of a new web portal to help businesses to understand and follow the customs procedures for importing goods into and exporting goods from the EU.
Designed as a single point of access to relevant and practical information, the portal includes animated scenarios to explain each step of the import, export and transit procedures. It also outlines the legal framework for such procedures, and includes information (such as policy information, databases and assistance services) taken from Commission and Member States customs websites.
This first stage of the “European Customs Information Portal” (ECIP) focuses on the application of the Safety and Security Amendment to the Customs Code, which entered into force on 1 July 2009. The customs portal was developed together with Member States and the Trade Contact Group, and will be further extended in the future to cover other areas and provide more in-depth information on customs procedures.
