European Customs Conference in Dublin Castle
The Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy T.D., today (12/02/04) opened a conference of Director Generals of Customs from twenty-seven European countries in Dublin Castle. The Conference, organised by the Revenue Commissioners in the context of the EU Presidency, has a theme of 'The challenge for Customs in Balancing Trade Facilitation and Security Demands'.
Directors General of Customs from EU Member States, Acceding Countries and Candidate Countries together with representatives of the European Commission will attend the two-day conference. The purpose of the meeting is to explore the implications for Customs of the increasing international emphasis on security. It will also examine how demands for greater security can be balanced with the needs of legitimate business for facilitation of trade. The conference will be addressed by Mr Brian Delaney of Groupe Pernod Ricard and Mr Ray Foy of The Intel Corporation, as well as high level Customs officials from Finland, Hungary, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Slovenia, Poland, Spain, Germany and the UK.
In his opening address to the conference, the Minister for Finance Mr. Charlie McCreevy T.D. said:
'Today's Conference can make an immense contribution to ensuring that, in a time of heightened security awareness, none of our competitive edge is lost where facilitation of trade and the rapid movement of goods are concerned. Ireland's intention as EU President is to integrate new Member States into the Lisbon Strategy at the earliest possible date and to make the competitiveness of the larger Europe an overriding imperative shared by all of us - and one which will ultimately benefit all of our citizens.'
Speaking at the opening of the conference, Revenue Commissioner Josephine Feehily said:
'For many years it has been the critical success factor for Customs administrations to manage their business and administer the regimes for which they are accountable in a way which facilitates international trade to the greatest possible extent... But, the more hazardous security environment within which trade operates has led us to pause and question ourselves; it has led citizens and Governments to expect a much sharper focus on supply chain security. Meeting these potentially conflicting needs simultaneously is the Customs challenge of this decade, and it is a difficult one.'