According to Fritz Esterer, Chairman of WTS AG, “there is a growing uncertainty about customs regulations for imports and exports in many businesses. The players are confronted with a number of amendments and changes of the substantial and procedural provisions of customs and foreign trade law in the EU.“ At the same time, he added, trade with third countries is increasing. “There are constantly new challenges in customs law and a large number of doubtful issues.“

How can businesses ensure that they are in conformity with the rules and regulations of export controls? The European customs and foreign trade law is an extremely formal law. Even minor violations of the formal requirements might entail considerable financial consequences – under certain circumstances, fines or even criminal proceedings. This risk is particularly high since this field of law is a rampant thicket of community and national regulations and court rulings existing in parallel.

An essential component of community trade policies are the rules of origin of the EU, in particular with respect to the specific assignment of a good to the economy of a certain country or region and the resulting legal consequences.
“Customs law is of high relevance to the entire German export and import industry, therefore WTS AG Steuerberatungsgesellschaft can offer comprehensive and individual advice to their clients owing to their special skills and knowledge in the field of customs law. Uwe Reimer, Germany’s first specialist consultant for customs and excise duties, for instance, is an employee of WTS AG. We explicitly support the aims of AWR and are hence sponsoring the convention, says Fritz Esterer.

The objective of the fall convention is to give way to an exchange of ideas and experience across industries. In addition to the AWR members representatives from administration, in particular of the German customs authorities, will participate in this meeting. AWR members are specialists dealing with customs, excise and VAT legislation or matters involving foreign trade and market regulation law as well as related fields of law.

Pictures and Press Materials

 Fritz Esterer, Chairman of WTS AG Steuerberatungsgesellschaft