6 October 2017, Brussels, the Benelux Union organised a conference for the customs authorities and representatives of the organised trade. The aim of the meeting was to discuss how the participants could benefit from the Benelux project to develop more innovative and harmonized customs solutions in the Benelux Union countries. This meeting was the first one in a series planned.
During this meeting participants had a possibility to get to know each other and identify common opportunities in the different member countries. The Customs Directors from Belgium and the Netherlands emphasized their political support for the collaboration. As a result of the meeting, the customs authorities agreed to cooperate on common rules for the calculation of the guarantee and the extension of the Authorised Economic Operator programme (AEO) to other taxes (such as excises).
They also agreed to look for a smoother connection between Dutch and Belgium port community systems. The way the Belgian and Dutch authorities see the system of transiting goods between temporary storage facilities is fundamentally different. They will bear this in mind and will increase their communication regarding this issue. The discussion and cooperation will continue at the meetings that will follow. For a first conference, this result is very encouraging.