Written by Miroslava Karaboytcheva (1st edition),
On 18 June 2018, the Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation establishing a Customs programme for cooperation in the field of customs over the 2021-2027 MFF period, a successor to Customs 2020. The programme’s main objective is to fund actions aimed at strengthening the customs union.
On 15 December 2020, the co-legislators reached agreement in trilogue. The Council adopted its first-reading position on 1 March 2021. On 8 March 2021, IMCO – the committee responsible for the file in the European Parliament – adopted its recommendation for second reading of the Customs programme by the Parliament.
The Parliament voted to adopt the first-reading position without amendments on 10 March 2021, and the final act was signed the following day. The regulation was published in the Official Journal on 15 March 2021 and entered into force immediately, and with retroactive application as of 1 January 2021.