European Union safety and security regulations for rail freight are designed to ensure the safe and secure transportation of goods across member states. These regulations cover a wide range of areas including the maintenance and inspection of rail infrastructure, the certification and training of personnel, and the implementation of security measures to protect against potential threats. Compliance with these regulations is essential for the smooth and efficient operation of rail freight services within the European Union, and helps to safeguard the well-being of both workers and the general public.
The European Union have changed their safety and security regulations for rail freight, as well as the transportation of goods by sea.
The European Union’s new customs pre-arrival safety and security system – Import Control System 2 (ICS2) – will introduce a new process for entry of goods by maritime and inland waterways, road and rail in the EU as of 3 June 2024. This is the third phase or release of the implementation of the new system that will extend safety and security data reporting requirements to all modes of transport. Similar requirements for air transportation of goods were enacted earlier this year.
Implications for Rail Freight and Sea Transportation
With this third release, maritime and inland waterways, road and rail carriers will also need to provide data on goods sent to or through the EU prior to their arrival, through a complete Entry Summary Declaration (ENS). This obligation also concerns postal and express carriers who transport goods using these modes of transport as well as other parties, such as logistics providers. In certain circumstances, final consignees established in the EU will also have to submit ENS data to ICS2.
Traders are strongly advised to prepare in advance for Release 3 to avoid the risk of delays and non-compliance.
Preparation for Release 3
Affected businesses will be required to ensure they collect accurate and complete data from their clients, update their IT systems and operational processes and provide adequate training to their staff. Traders will now also need to successfully complete a self-conformance test before connecting to ICS2, to verify their ability to access and exchange messages with customs authorities.
Deployment Window
EU Member States will grant authorisation, upon request, to the affected traders to gradually connect to ICS2 within a time-limited deployment window. Member States can grant the deployment window anytime within the following timeframes: from 3rd June 2024 to 4th December 2024 (maritime and inland waterway carriers); from 4th December 2024 to 1st April 2025 (maritime and inland waterway house level filers); and from 1st April 2025 to 1st September 2025 (road and rail carriers).
Consequences of Non-Compliance
If traders are not ready on time, and do not provide the data required under ICS2, goods will be stopped at the EU borders and will not be cleared by the customs authorities.
Benefits of ICS2
The EU is a major player in international trade – it accounts for around 14 % of the world’s trade in goods. By collecting safety and security data, EU customs authorities will be able to detect risks earlier and to intervene at the most appropriate point in the supply chain to keep trade safe for the EU and its citizens. ICS2 will simplify the movement of goods between customs offices at the first point of entry and final destination in the EU. ICS2 will provide a single access point to communicate with all EU Member States’ customs authorities for all EU operations instead of 27 national interfaces. For traders, ICS2 will also streamline requests for additional information and pre-departure risk screening by customs authorities, thus reducing administrative burdens for businesses.
Summary
As the EU continues to play a significant role in global trade, these new regulations are designed to uphold safety and security standards while facilitating smoother trade operations. Traders and businesses are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the requirements of ICS2 and take proactive steps to ensure compliance within the specified timelines.
(This article is sourced from globalrailwayreview.com curated by Thetransporteronline24)
