The European Commission has launched a new import control system (ICS2) that will reinforce the Customs Union’s “first line of defence” against safety and security threats posed by illegal goods. The phase of the ICS2 will focus on postal and express consignments coming to or through the EU by air.

The system will then be applied to all modes of cargo transport which is at the heart of the reform of the EU’s Customs Pre-arrival Safety and Security programme. The ICS2 will gradually replace the existing import control system in three releases between 15 March 2021 and 1 March 2024.

Paolo Gentiloni, Commissioner for the Economy said the release “will bring a step-change in the capacity of customs to help protect our citizens and the EU’s internal market from wide ranging threats posed by the traffic of dangerous and illicit goods. It will help deliver a more efficient and effective risk-based approach to customs controls in our rapidly evolving supply chains, while supporting a level-playing field and facilitating legitimate trade across our external borders”.