The Romanian Customs Authority and the Ministry of Finance have submitted the country's bid to host the future EU Customs Authority (EUCA) in Bucharest.

The EUCA is meant to help national customs authorities streamline processes for businesses, ensure the effective collection of duties and taxes for EU and national budgets, and reinforce the single market's protection from unsafe or illegal goods.

It will operate the EU Customs Data Hub, a digital platform intended to centralize and manage all EU customs data that will gradually replace the existing fragmented national IT systems.

In its bid, Romania argued that the institution should be based "where operational needs, accelerated digitalization and the realities of the EU frontiers meet," representatives of the Romanian Customs Authority told Agerpres. 

They also highlighted that Romania has one of the EU's most extensive external borders and manages a high volume of commercial exchanges each year.

"Romania's customs points handle millions of tonnes of goods each year by road, rail, sea, or air, making the country a critical operational node for the EU's economic security. This reality lends substance and relevance to our bid, and the experience accumulated in managing borders and commercial exchanges turns us into a mature partner, ready to contribute to the construction of the new European customs architecture," according to the same source. 

At the same time, Romania's commercial priorities align with the union's strategic logic, representatives of the Customs Authority said, namely the consolidation of the internal market, the increase in supply chains' resilience, the facilitation of legitimate, predictable, and digitalized trade, and combating fraud. 

Eight other countries have applied to host the EUCA: Spain (Málaga), Belgium (Liège), France (Lille), Croatia (Zagreb), Italy (Rome), the Netherlands (The Hague), Poland (Warsaw), and Portugal (Porto).

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simona@romania-insider.com