Uniform customs administration is of great importance for the EU and the competitiveness of EU businesses in global trade. However, the EU's so-called executive federalism raises the potential for the non-uniform application of EU customs law. This problem has already arisen in the European Communities – Selected Customs Matters WTO dispute settlement. Therefore, the central research question of this book concerns the challenge presented to executive federalism in the EU Customs Union by the WTO. It also examines those safeguard measures for uniform customs administration which are in operation. Valuable empirical analysis of the decision-making procedures and practices of the national customs authorities allows for the fullest understanding of the operation of the customs administration. An important feature of the exploration is its analysis of the reform of EU customs law and of the effectiveness of the European Union's strategies to enhance uniform customs administration. That analysis helps to identify potential weak points in the decentralised administration of EU customs law and suggests ways in which it might be improved. Scholarly, rigorous and timely, this important study will be required reading for all scholars of EU customs law.

"Uniform customs administration is of great importance for the EU and the competitiveness of EU businesses in global trade. However, the EU's so-called executive federalism raises the potential for the non-uniform application of EU customs law. This problem has already arisen in the European Communities--Selected Customs Matters WTO dispute settlement. Therefore, the central research question of this book concerns the challenge presented to executive federalism in the EU Customs Union by the WTO. It also examines those safeguard measures for uniform customs administration which are in operation. Valuable empirical analysis of the decision-making procedures and practices of the national customs authorities allows for the fullest understanding of the operation of the customs administration. An important feature of the exploration is its analysis of the reform of EU customs law and of the effectiveness of the EU's strategies to enhance uniform customs administration. That analysis helps to identify potential weak points in the decentralised administration of EU customs law and suggests ways in which it might be improved. Scholarly, rigorous and timely, this important study will be required reading for all scholars of EU customs law."--Résumé de l'éditeur.

This volume deals with the law governing the administrative implementation of European Union public policy. Much of this law is specific to individual policy sectors. The volume provides a study of such specialized admininstrative law for more than twenty sectors. This cross-sectoral approach allows for detailed comparisons of EU administration in diverse policy fields. It identifies situations where legal structures and approaches may be unnecessarily duplicated, thus indicating where a comprehensive, general system could be advantageous for both Union law and policy achievement. The comparative nature of the study also draws attention to policy fields which have proven to be testing grounds for approaches adopted subsequently in other areas. In addition, the work highlights the distinctive, highly networked, and strongly cooperative character of EU administration, as a reflection of, and a foundation for, the operative nature of the European Union as a whole.

Trade integration contributes substantially to economic development and poverty alleviation. In recent years much progress was made to liberalize the trade regime, but customs procedures are often still complex, costly and non-transparent. This situation leads to misallocation of resources. 'Customs Modernization Handbook' provides an overview of the key elements of a successful customs modernization strategy and draws lessons from a number of successful customs reforms as well as from customs reform projects that have been undertaken by the World Bank. It describes a number of key import procedures, that have proved particularly troublesome for customs administrations and traders, and provides practical guidelines to enhance their efficiency. The Handbook also reviews the appropriate legal framework for customs operations as well as strategies to combat corruption.

The third edition of EU Customs Law provides a fully updated treatment of legislation, new treaties and cases in the two courts of the EU especially but also in Member States. This volume also includes commentary on the Modernized Community Customs Code and Implementing Regulation and increased coverage of areas such as the wider role of customs authorities apart from the collection of customs duty, such as security of goods and post 9/11 developments generally, the history of customs unions and their implications for governments, non-EU customs unions to which EU law is relevant, and the inter-relation between customs duty and direct tax.

The U.S. goods trade deficit with European Union was $116.6 billion in 2006, a decrease of $5.7 billion from $122.3 billion in 2005. U.S. goods exports in 2006 were $214.0 billion, up 14.8 percent from the previous year. Corresponding U.S. imports from European Union were $330.6 billion, up 7.1 percent. European Union countries, together, rank second behind Canada as an export market for the United States in 2006. U.S. exports of private commercial services (i.e. excluding military and government) to the European Union were $127.8 billion in 2005 (latest data available), and U.S. imports were $105.9 million. Sales of services in the European Union by majority U.S.-owned affiliates were $249.1 billion in 2004 (latest data available), while sales of services in the United States by majority European Union owned firms were $224.3 billion. The stock of U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in the European Union in 2005 was $949.0 billion (latest data available), down from $973.0 billion in 2004. U.S. FDI in the European Union is concentrated largely in the non-bank holding companies, manufacturing, finance, and wholesale trade sectors.