Increased Customs Screening for 2024: Anticipated Surge in Shipped Parcels, Marijuana, and Firearms
Stepping up Customs: A Year in Review
Hamburg - In a bustling year, Germany's customs operations have been keeping up with the tide of e-commerce, particularly packages originating from China. According to Armin Rolfink, President of the General Customs Administration, the number of customs clearances in online retail has skyrocketed - a staggering 4x increase compared to the previous year, reaching a staggering 235 million. It's no secret that around 90% of these packages hail from China.
The Finance Minister, Lars Klingbeil (SPD), expressed concerns about an influx of cheap goods and counterfeit products via China. Klingbeil supported stricter action against such shipments, they also discussed the topic at the European level, a possible abolishment of the existing customs limit of €150 is under consideration. There are talks about introducing a flat-rate charge of €1-€2 instead.
Drug Busts: A Double-Edged Sword
Customs hard at work, got their hands full preventing drug smuggling. Notably, the amount of cocaine seized dropped significantly - from 39.9 to 16.3 tons in comparison to 2023. "This decrease shows that our controls and high investigative pressure are effective," said Klingbeil. However, an uptick in marijuana seizures was seen - surging from 8.6 to 12.6 tons compared to the previous year. Interestingly, marijuana consumption was partially legalized for adults in April 2024. Rolfink pointed out that there's no evidence linking this to the legalization.
More Troops than Punk Rockers: Armed Weapons Seized
When it comes to weapons smuggling, customs didn't play around, seizing 161 military weapons, an astounding increase compared to the previous year's 19. The list of military weapons includes guided missiles, flamethrowers, and rifle grenades. Two significant cases were noted, transport permits were missed, and had to be obtained later. Rolfink credited good risk analysis by customs for the increase, but couldn't elaborate due to confidentiality reasons.
Cracking Down on Black Work
The Ibbenbüren unit of the customs, responsible for controlling and combating black work, checked 25,274 employers last year, fewer than in 2023 when 42,631 were investigated. Yet, the number of initiated and completed procedures was only slightly below the 2023 level. Klingbeil announced a "tougher approach" against criminal enterprises exploiting the system. The IG Bauen-Agrar-Umwelt trade union commended Klingbeil's statement.
The federal government has mentioned a desire to pass a law modernizing and digitizing the fight against black work in an immediate program presented in May.
The Squeeze: Customs Struggles Under Pressure
Thomas Liebel, chairman of the German Customs and Finance Union, voiced concerns that the protective function of customs is under strain due to growing tasks, trade conflicts, and complex sanctions. Despite these mounting challenges, customs perseveres in its mission to safeguard the nation.
- In the realm of personal-finance and business, the finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, has raised concerns about an increase in cheap goods and counterfeit products, primarily from China, highlighting the need for stricter actions in custom clearances.
- The German customs industry, specifically in the field of technology and education-and-self-development, has demonstrated significant progress in combating drug smuggling, with a drop in cocaine seizures but an increase in marijuana seizures, raising questions about the impact of marijuana legalization.
- In the area of general-news and sports, customs have confiscated an astounding number of military weapons, including guided missiles, flamethrowers, and rifle grenades, signifying a need for increased vigilance and digital modernization to combat weapons smuggling.
- On the topic of education-and-self-development, the customs department has intensified efforts to crack down on black work, conducting fewer investigations in 2024 than the previous year but maintaining a similar number of completed procedures, with the government planning to pass a law for digital modernization in the near future.
- In the field of finance and lifestyle, the president of the General Customs Administration, Armin Rolfink, and the chairman of the German Customs and Finance Union, Thomas Liebel, have raised concerns about the growing tasks, trade conflicts, and complex sanctions, potentially straining the protective function of customs and requiring additional resources to safeguard the nation.
