eDelivery helping to monitor goods before they enter the EU
The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union (DG TAXUD) is implementing a new customs pre-arrival security and safety programme underpinned by a large-scale advanced cargo information system.
Known as ‘ICS2’ (Import Control System 2), the programme is one of the main contributors towards establishing an integrated EU approach to reinforce customs risk management under the Common Risk Management Framework (CRMF). ICS2 went into operation on 15 March 2021, marking a significant reinforcement of the Customs Union’s first line of defence.
The ICS2 Shared Trader Interface (STI) system can generate over 1.5 billion consignments, resulting in three times as many messages transmitted via the eDelivery AS4 message exchange protocol.
AS4 is the core standard promoted through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) eDelivery Building Block. Using the eDelivery AS4 Dynamic Receiver profile, DG TAXUD was able to reuse the pre-existing UUM&DS authentication system, where economic operators can register their digital certificates to authorise messages arriving at their eDelivery Access Point.
The use of eDelivery allows each economic operator to select its preferred eDelivery-conformant software product to establish its Access Point, which avoids vendor lock-in and allows organisations to make the best possible product selection according to their constraints.
Background
In 2018, DG TAXUD decided to use the AS4 message exchange protocol in their ICS2.
ICS2 will use eDelivery in its Shared Trader Interface (ICS2 STI) to provide economic operators who bring the goods into the European Union a single instance of a harmonised trader interface with the customs authorities.
By connecting to an AS4 Access Point, any economic operator with a role in the commercial supply chain can easily submit electronic entry summary declarations to a Member State customs authority. The streamlined process considers international standards and avoids unnecessary point-to-point interaction for businesses and customs controls.
The secure eDelivery channel between the economic operator’s Access Point and the STI’s Access Point prevents data loss, damage, unauthorised alterations and provides evidence that information has been sent and received.
Using the CEF eDelivery Building Block
DG TAXUD chose to use eDelivery because it is a standards-based, well-established message exchange protocol and security, reliability, and scalability. More than 35 countries have deployed almost 600 eDelivery Access Points to date. ICS2 STI and systems like it can, through eDelivery, accommodate vast numbers of economic operators in a market-friendly and future-proof way. Read the eDelivery success stories to see how the eDelivery Building Block has ensured secure, interoperable data exchange throughout Europe.