On the 26th of January, on the occasion of International Customs Day, a coalition of trade associations, customs intermediaries, businesses, and academia adopted the Vilnius Manifesto On the Future of the European Customs Ecosystem which was drafted as part of the Customs Ecosystems Conference that took place in Vilnius on 6-7 October 2025
The manifesto provides the joint views of its signatories, among which FEPORT, for a coherent, balanced and sustainable implementation of EU customs policy. The document highlights key enabling conditions that need to be considered for the success of current customs policy and the ongoing reforms such as harmonised enforcement, risk-based controls, legal clarity and interoperable digital systems.
Furthermore, the Manifesto underlined the need for trust-based partnerships between customs authorities and compliant economic operators as well as structured stakeholder engagement, including with trade associations, throughout the legislative process and subsequent implementation cycle.
