Customs - gatekeepers of the

EU
Over the past four decades,
customs officers have played a
crucial but often invisible role
in protecting EU citizens and
facilitating trade.

Las aduanas, guardianas de la

UE
En los ltimos cuarenta aos
los funcionarios de aduanas
han realizado una labor vital
-aunque a menudo invisiblepara proteger a los ciudadanos
de la Unin y facilitar el
comercio.
On 1 July 1968, six countries El 1 de julio de 1968 seis pases
Belgium, France, Germany,
(Alemania, Blgica, Francia,
Italy, Luxembourg and Holland - Italia, Luxemburgo y los Pases
abolished the last duties on
Bajos) eliminaron los ltimos
goods movements among
aranceles sobre los
themselves, creating a
movimientos de mercancas
European customs union.
dentro de sus fronteras,
creando as la Unin Aduanera
europea.
Besides doing away with trade
Adems de eliminar las
barriers between member
barreras comerciales entre los
countries of what has become
pases miembros de lo que hoy
the European Union, the
es la Unin Europea, la Unin
customs union established a
Aduanera estableci un arancel
common tariff on all goods
comn para todas las
entering these countries.
mercancas importadas desde
el exterior.
The customs union started
La Unin Aduanera signific
Europe down the path to fuller
para Europa el comienzo de su
economic integration and
proceso de expansin e
expansion. Forty years later, the integracin econmica.
EU is the world's largest trading Cuarenta aos despus, la UE
bloc, accounting for about 20% constituye el mayor bloque
of world trade. Yet without
comercial del mundo, con un
efficient customs at the EU's
20% del comercio internacional.
external borders, such
Sin embargo, sin unas aduanas
economic integration would not eficaces en las fronteras
have been possible.
exteriores de la UE esta
integracin econmica no
habra sido posible.
More than 140 000 people are
Las aduanas -que dan trabajo a

employed in customs. They

play a pivotal role in policing
the EU's external borders and
ensuring the safety and
security of Europeans.

ms de 140.000 personasdesempean una tarea

fundamental de vigilancia de
las fronteras exteriores de la
Unin y defensa de la
seguridad y la salud de los
europeos.
Every year, EU customs check
Cada ao las aduanas de la UE
some 1 600m tonnes of ship
realizan controles sobre unos
cargo and about 8 m tonnes of
1.600 millones de toneladas de
air cargo. Customs officers
cargamentos martimos y unos
handle almost 183m customs
8 millones de toneladas de
declarations - about six every
cargamentos areos. Adems,
second.
tramitan casi 183 millones de
declaraciones (es decir, unas 6
declaraciones por segundo).
Today, 27 national customs
En la actualidad, los servicios
services work closely with
de aduanas de los 27 Estados
other law-enforcement
miembros colaboran
agencies, industry, and the EU's estrechamente con los fuerzas
major trading partners to meet
y cuerpos de seguridad, la
the growing challenges of
industria y los principales
global trade: protecting people socios comerciales de la Unin
from dangerous products and
Europea para hacer frente a los
fighting organised crime,
retos crecientes de la
terrorism and smuggling.
globalizacin comercial:
proteger a las personas contra
los productos peligrosos y
combatir la delincuencia
organizada, el terrorismo y el
contrabando.
To help them succeed, the
Para contribuir al xito de esa
Commission is leading efforts
tarea, la Comisin encabeza
to introduce state-of-the art
una iniciativa destinada a
risk-management techniques
introducir tcnicas ms
and create a paperless
modernas de gestin de
(electronic) environment for
riesgos, crear un entorno
trade and customs, adjusting
aduanero electrnico sin papel
EU laws to accommodate it.
y adaptar la legislacin europea
al nuevo entorno.

Customs - gatekeepers of the EU

Over the past four decades, customs officers have played a crucial
but often invisible role in protecting EU citizens and facilitating
trade. On 1 July 1968, six countries - Belgium, France, Germany,
Italy, Luxembourg and Holland - abolished the last duties on goods
movements among themselves, creating a European customs
union.Besides doing away with trade barriers between member
countries of what has become the European Union, the customs
union established a common tariff on all goods entering these
countries. More than 140 000 people are employed in customs.
They play a pivotal role in policing the EU's external borders and
ensuring the safety and security of Europeans. Every year, EU
customs check some 1 600m tonnes of ship cargo and about 8 m
tonnes of air cargo. Customs officers handle almost 183m customs
declarations - about six every second. Today, 27 national customs
services work closely with other law-enforcement agencies,
industry, and the EU's major trading partners to meet the growing
challenges of global trade: protecting people from dangerous
products and fighting organised crime, terrorism and smuggling.
To help them succeed, the Commission is leading efforts to
introduce state-of-the art risk-management techniques and create a
paperless (electronic) environment for trade and customs,
adjusting EU laws to accommodate it.