At the meeting on 8 January 2019, the Council (General Affairs) approved conclusions on the Commission’s second progress report on the Implementation of the EU Strategy and Action Plan for Customs Risk Management.

The Council, inter alia, welcomed the participation of customs administrations in security-related activities, the improvement in cooperation between customs and trade, and the improved exchange of specific customs information between customs authorities in the EU and third countries (including the establishment of a framework for the structured exchange of information with third countries).

Notwithstanding, the partnership of customs with trade as well as cooperation with international partners still need to be further explored and enhanced. The cooperation of law enforcement authorities in interlinking customs controls and risk management, on the one hand, and fraud/crime prevention and detection/investigation measures, on the other, need to be constantly evaluated.

The conclusions address numerous recommendations to the Member States and the Commission (each within their respective competence), including inter alia:

• To utilise all available resources to accelerate the implementation of essential IT systems;
• To increase the efficiency and effectiveness of customs controls based on risk analysis;
• To improve synergies between customs and other law enforcement authorities in the area of organised crime, security, and fight against terrorism, both at the national and EU levels;
• To further explore the technical, operational, and legal aspects of interoperability of the security and border management systems with customs systems;
• To enhance the exchange of information related to risks between Member States and between Member States and third countries.

The Commission has been called on to develop an efficient reporting mechanism − in close cooperation with the Member States − to measure the impact of outcomes/results of specific actions deriving from the EU Strategy and Action Plan. In addition, a new working group is to define the indicators that will facilitate the implementation of the EU Strategy and Action Plan.