Amélie de Montchalin, the French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, announces France's candidacy to host the future European Union Customs Authority (EUCA) in Lille

PRESS RELEASE

Lille, June 16th, 2025

N°621

Amélie de Montchalin, the French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, announces France's candidacy to host the future European Union Customs Authority (EUCA) in Lille

Amélie de Montchalin, the French Minister of Public Action and Accounts, is delighted to announce France's candidacy to host the future European Union Customs Authority in Lille (EUCA). The EUCA is driven by France's commitment to protecting the European Union internal market, facilitating international trade and ensuring the competitiveness of our businesses. Today, the Minister visited the site of the building that could house the future European Union Customs Authority in Lille.

Launched in May 2023 by the European Commission, the reform of the Union Customs Code is intended to assert the major role of customs in protecting the Union's revenue and in the security, health and prosperity of European citizens and businesses. Designed to meet the new challenges  Europe's customs authorities are facing, the project aims to reform the way the Customs Union currently operates, to cope with the explosion in e-commerce and the increase in non-customs regulations.

Based on the observation that there has been no authority or agency dedicated to the Customs Union's own missions since its creation in 1968, this reform aims in particular to create an EU Customs Authority. Until now, the European Commission has aggregated a range of operational support functions for national customs administrations.

The future EU Customs Authority will thus be entrusted with coordinating and supervising operational cooperation between national customs authorities, pooling technical skills and making them available to improve efficiency and achieve results.

The future EU Customs Authority will also be responsible for managing the Data-Hub, a platform for managing and storing EU international trade data, which will replace the various national customs IT infrastructures (currently numbering 111 across the European Union). This Data-Hub will make it possible to aggregate the data provided by companies for customs clearance, and will provide an overview of supply chains right up to the point where goods are placed on the market within the EU.

It is against this backdrop that, under the authority of the President of the Republic, the Government is proposing that France host the European Customs Authority.

The creation of this Authority, which will be the cornerstone of a modern and efficient Customs Union, has been actively supported by France for many years as part of the negotiations on the reform of the Customs Union. While several administrations already have a dedicated European authority, customs authorities do not currently benefit from any comparable governance framework at European level.

Amélie de Montchalin said: "Locating the headquarters of the future European Customs Authority in France means choosing a region with a strong history of customs activity, a dynamic and attractive region that is resolutely focused on Europe. It is a guarantee of efficiency and credibility in carrying out its missions...".

The Minister entrusted the sponsorship of this French candidacy to Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and former European Commissioner, with extensive expertise in the fields of international trade and customs issues.

 Press contacts:

Communication office : 01 57 53 47 18 / 42 11 / 47 14 / 43 18 – presse@douane.finances.gouv.fr