Future EU Customs Authority to be headquartered in Lille, France

Today, the Council and the European Parliament selected Lille as the host city for the future European Union customs authority (EUCA).

The authority will be tasked with coordinating and supporting the activities of national customs authorities consistently across the Union. It is expected to have around 250 staff members.

The establishment of the new authority forms part of the work to reform the EU’s overall customs framework so that it can deal with the significant pressure arising from increased trade flows, fragmented national systems, the rapid rise of e-commerce and shifting geopolitical realities.

The co-legislators agreed on the location of EUCA’s seat in an informal inter-institutional meeting at political level.

The location of the seat will now be included in the overall customs reform regulation on which political discussions between the Council and the Parliament are in their final stages. The date on which the authority will start operations will also need to be agreed as part of those negotiations.