New customs transit systems for Europe

Customs transit is one of the cornerstones of European integration and of vital interest to European businesses. It enables goods to move more freely and makes customs clearance formalities more accessible. It does so by temporarily suspending duties and taxes that are applicable to goods at import into the Community (Community transit), or between the European Community, the European Free Trade Association and the Visegrad countries (via the Common Transit Convention) or among the states that are now contracting parties to the TIR Convention. For the countries of central and eastern Europe, access to the common transit system plays a key role in their pre-accession strategy.