30 August 2024 – Is the ever-growing bureaucratic jungle from Brussels now leading to arbitrary customs duties? As in the case of stainless steel imports from Taiwan that has just come to our attention, where the anti-dumping hammer was once again wielded arbitrarily and without a thorough examination of the facts. Is Belgian customs overloaded with bureaucratic challenges?
Is EU bureaucratic madness now leading to customs arbitrariness in Belgium?
In recent years, the European Commission‘s numerous new and unnecessary market protection measures have not only contributed significantly to less competition, higher inflation and the loss of jobs in the EU, but have also led to more and more bureaucracy for importing companies (and thus rising costs) and to the European customs authorities being overburdened.
Brussels fuelling an intransparent and bureaucratic customs jungle
This overburdening of the EU customs authorities, as is currently the case in Belgium, for example, unfortunately gives the fatal impression of official arbitrariness. Apparently, especially in Belgium, neither the appropriate care nor the necessary expertise is currently being shown in customs clearance. Instead, the increasingly opaque customs jungle from Brussels is referred to lawyers and courts. This has even gone so far that important documents that are required for imports are no longer even checked and the anti-dumping customs hammer is simply swung straight away.
Is there a lack of expertise at Belgian customs?
In this case, which was recently brought to our attention, Belgian customs had simply arbitrarily changed the customs code when importing Taiwanese stainless steel without carefully checking the facts and then demanded high anti-dumping duties from the importer concerned.
A piquant detail is that these are specifically the anti-dumping duties from the questionable anti-circumvention proceedings against flat rolled stainless steel imports from Vietnam, Turkey and Taiwan that have been in force since May 2024. In addition to the punitive tariffs, the European Commission had also imposed complex new customs formalities.
Bureaucratic madness from Brussels harms the economy
Once again an example of how the excessive bureaucracy from Brussels not only harms the European economy, but also leads to an enormous overload for the authorities. The behaviour of the Belgian customs authorities clearly demonstrates this overload and now appears to have turned into arbitrariness. And it does not appear to be an isolated case, as there had already been reports in July 2024 that incorrect TARIC codes had been used by the EU customs authorities and anti-dumping duties had been levied unlawfully.
Overall, however, this is also an important pointer in favour of only working with reliable and experienced suppliers who do not leave their customers alone in such situations and are prepared for all eventualities.
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We at the Gerber Group have been trading in stainless steel worldwide for over 20 years. We are your experts when it comes to purchasing, import, logistics and services. Information is a vital part of this. Because only then can you and we make the right decisions. Do you have any questions? Contact us now.
Disclaimer: Many things here represent our opinion. Others are information from the Internet. We can therefore never claim to be correct or complete. And never base a business decision solely on the news you receive from us.
