Press Release: Customs: WTO rejects US claims and confirms the regime for EU customs administrations meets high standards

The European Commission welcomes the report of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation circulated on 14 November 2006, which confirms that the EC regime for customs administration, which involves millions of transactions every year, meets WTO standards. The report rejects the unsubstantiated claims of the US on the EC customs regime and reverses two specific violation findings made in the earlier panel report. This confirms the right of the European Community (and any WTO Member) to decide on how to best organise its customs administration, including judicial review of the decisions of its customs authorities.