The European Commission (EC) has urged the air cargo industry to prepare for new rules that will require advance shipment information to be submitted before air cargo is loaded from March next year.
EC The new rules mean that all freight forwarders, airlines, couriers and postal operators transporting goods to or through the European Union (EU), including Norway and Switzerland, will be Requires advance submission of cargo information in the form of a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS) as part of the new Customs Pre-Arrival Security and Safety Plan Phase 2 - Import Control System 2 (ICS2) Version 2.
The European Community said it strongly recommends that companies prepare for version 2 in advance to avoid delays and the risk of non-compliance.
Information previously required submission four hours before arrival, but now it is required before cargo is loaded onto the aircraft.
The EC said: "By collecting data on all goods entering the EU before loading and arrival, ICS2 supports effective risk-based customs controls while promoting the free movement of legitimate trade outside the EU."
The new system means freight Agents, couriers and postal operators will be legally responsible for providing the data.
The companies can submit the data themselves or share the data with airlines, who will then complete the ENS filing requirements.
The EC added: "Postal operators and couriers who have previously been declaring partial information for inbound shipments (under ICS2 Phase 1) will now also be required to coordinate with their airlines to submit all required data."
To help prepare for the launch of ICS2 Release 2, the European Commission will provide a conformance test environment between July 2022 and February 2023 to verify the ability of economic operators to access and exchange information with customs authorities through the expected ICS2 trader interface .
