OCEAN Working Group on Customs and Taxation

Towards a genuine Single Market for Shipsupply?

 The OCEAN Working Group on Customs & Taxation will meet on 24 October 2013 to examine the different national shipsupply laws and practices. 

The OCEAN Working Group on Customs & Taxation working group meets for its 15th time on Thursday, 24th October 2013, at the  Sheraton Brussels Airport Hotel. Participants will discuss the Union Customs Code, the Blue Belt proposal and many other issues. Of particular importance will be an anlysis of the various ship supply laws in the different EU Member States. Chair of the Working Group Peter de Haas commented: "How can we talk of a genuine Single Market for Europe if the law for shipsupplies is still today de facto nationalised?" 

Even though there are EU-wide customs and indirect tax rules, these are often complemented by national interpretation of the rules, which can disturb the common EU ship supply market. For example,one EU Member State may consider excluding technical equipment from being ship supply, Ship suppliers in another EU Member State can benefit from significant simplifications by completing a simple excel sheet as proof of delivery, In other Member States, shipsuppliers have to supply to customs a special national certificate, In some Member States, there are have electronic system specifically used for the national shipsupply market. 

In consequence, "the EU market for ship supply is not common, but dispersed. This Working Group will assess what can be done against it" Working Group Member Fernando de Pinto said in Porto today.