Customs Smart Shield

ongoing

French customs pursue the objective of achieving a more modern, digitalised, data-rich Customs administration, that is fit for the future in the line of the objective 5.1 of the DG TAXUD. The main target is to reach the best possible level of performance while conducting customs checks through the use of state-of-art, non-invasive and performant customs tools.This project is designed to make use of the CCEI as a stepping-stone on the path of improving the ability of French customs officers to perform accurate controls, while reducing as much as possible the impact of such controls on the fluidity of trade. This is why this work plan aims to pursue 5 main objectives: -Cope with the level of equipment needed to reach a satisfying level of control, namely scanners; -Upgrade and facilitate non-invasive controls of imported goods and in some cases exported goods submitted to specific regulations; - Dispatch those new means of control over all the main strategic logistical platforms on the French soil, in order to reach a common level of control; -Prepare fully equipped Customs of the 21st century, by designing a state-of-art data management process in order to develop innovative automated search modes for frauds; -Set a virtuous data-sharing strategy with the other customs administrations in the EU. To pursue these objectives, this work plan will lay on 9 work packages, consistent with the 9 main French logistics platforms. The first 7 platforms are seaports and one waterway port, the last 2 platforms are the nation-wide biggest express and postal freight platforms. Further, the whole work plan will be deployed according to a 3 steps strategy: -address the performance gap in terms of heavy detection equipment, -develop algorithms and targeting capacities at a national scale, to level-up our abilities to detect fraudulent merchandises; -complete the equipment of field Customs officers with appropriate detection and security item, after the 1st part of the CCEI is over.