Global Voice
After air, the European Union has introduced the new customs pre-arrival safety and security system – Import Control System 2 (ICS2) – for entry of goods by maritime and inland waterways, road and rail.
The system will come into effect from June 3, a statement by the European Commission said.
This is the third phase of implementation of the new system that will extend safety and security data reporting requirements to all modes of transport.
After the implementation of the system, maritime and inland waterways, road and rail carriers will also need to provide data on goods sent to or through the EU prior to their arrival, through a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS).
Traders have been advised to prepare in advance for Release 3 to avoid the risk of delays and non-compliance.
EU Member States will grant authorisation, upon request, to the affected traders to gradually connect to ICS2 within a time-limited deployment window.
Member states can grant the deployment window anytime from June 3, 2024 to September 1, 2025 for different modes of transportation.
If traders are not ready on time, and do not provide the data required under ICS2, goods will be stopped at the EU borders and will not be cleared by the customs authorities.
It may be mentioned that the EU is a major player in international trade and accounts for around 14% of the world’s trade in goods. ICS2 will simplify the movement of goods between customs offices at the first point of entry and final destination in the EU. It will also provide a single access point to communicate with all EU Member States’ customs authorities for all EU operations instead of 27 national interfaces.
For traders, ICS2 will also streamline requests for additional information and pre-departure risk screening by customs authorities, thus reducing administrative burdens for businesses.
