On 17 September 2026, OCEAN, the European Ship Suppliers Organization, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a conference dedicated to the reform of the Union Customs Code.
FEPORT Secretary General Ms Lamia Kerdjoudj was invited to participate in a panel discussion alongside representatives of CLECAT, FONASBA and OCEAN. The keynote address was delivered by Mr Gerassimos Thomas, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union.
Ms Kerdjoudj welcomed the adoption of the EU Customs Reform and stressed that attention must now turn to ensuring its smooth and effective implementation, in close consultation with industry. The reform subsequently entered into force on 21 September and will be introduced progressively.
The establishment of the EU Customs Authority and the introduction of the EU Customs Data Hub have the potential to reduce administrative burdens for companies while facilitating controls and strengthening the fight against illicit trade.
FEPORT also welcomes the co-legislators’ decision to maintain the maximum period for temporary storage at 90 days. This is essential for the normal functioning of ports and maritime logistics chains. The decision to preserve the Authorised Economic Operator system alongside the newly introduced “Trust and Check” model is equally positive.
However, legislative adoption is only the beginning.
Successful implementation will depend on getting the practical details right. The customs and logistics sectors should therefore be closely consulted during the preparation of the secondary legislation and the development of the new digital systems.
Asked about the centralised EU Customs Data Hub and trust-based models, Ms Kerdjoudj explained that FEPORT strongly supports the creation of the Hub. A single system can make the work of both customs authorities and economic operators easier by reducing duplicate data submissions and avoiding repetitive controls.
The Hub should also improve risk management by enabling customs authorities to identify suspicious cargo more effectively and focus their resources where they are most needed. This would contribute to combating illicit trade and the activities of organised criminal networks.
One principle should guide the system’s development: economic operators should only be required to submit information that they generate in the normal course of their activities. They should not be asked to reproduce data received from other parties in the supply chain when they are unable to verify its accuracy. Such requirements would create unnecessary administrative burdens and could expose operators to liability for information over which they have no control.
The transition from national customs IT systems to a single European platform will also make the resilience of the EU Customs Data Hub particularly important. Technical disruption or downtime affecting a centralised system could have consequences across the entire Union. Robust cybersecurity, operational continuity and effective contingency planning must therefore be built into the system from the outset.
Concluding her intervention, Ms Kerdjoudj recalled the specific role performed by terminal operators within maritime logistics chains. Terminals load and unload cargo, provide temporary storage and transfer goods to the next maritime or hinterland transport mode, whether by barge, road, rail or short-sea shipping. They are an essential link enabling European imports and exports to function efficiently.
Terminal operators have not, however, traditionally acted as importers from a customs perspective. The role of an importer requires detailed knowledge of the goods concerned and involves responsibility for customs duties and compliance with other applicable legislation.
This distinction is particularly important for container terminals, which handle large volumes of closed containers and cannot independently verify the information supplied by importers, shipping lines or other parties. Making terminal operators responsible for such information would increase administrative burdens and could expose them to liabilities that do not correspond to their operational role.
Ms Kerdjoudj underlined that this is also a matter of competitiveness. The new definition of “importer” introduced by the reform will not apply to ports in neighbouring third countries. Its implementation must therefore avoid placing EU ports and terminals at a disadvantage compared with nearby competitors.
“It should be prevented at all costs that the implementation of the new definition of importer, and its potential application to terminal operators, makes EU ports and terminals less attractive vis-à-vis neighbouring competitors,” concluded the FEPORT Secretary General.
