Fighting fraud in the customs transit system within the European Union

Among the illegal activities affecting the European Union's financial interests, fraud in the European customs transit special regime - which allows the movement of goods under suspension of trade policy measures, duties and taxes - constitutes a clearly identified threat both because of the loss of resources to the Member States and the negative impact on the economy. Preventing and combating these abuses affecting the Union's resources is therefore a decisive challenge for political leaders. On 20th June next in Brussels the Robert Schuman Foundation is organising a conference devoted to fraud in the customs transit system. This will be an opportunity to continue the work of the Kellet-Bowman report on the European transit system, twenty years after its publication. This event is being organised as part of the Hercule III programme of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) whose main objective is the protection of the Union's financial interests. It aims to: • Measure the risks of persistent fraud in an European business environment; • Strengthen coordination and cooperation within the European Union and between the Member States; • Propose a platform for the exchange of best practices in the fight against this fraud; • Examine the potential contribution of the cutting-edge technologies (big data, blockchain, etc.) and make the customs information systems adaptable to future solutions.