The reform of the customs union provides for the creation of a database common to all Member States. While the EU accounts for 14% of world trade – €4300 billion in 2021 – its customs registered 691.5 million import declarations.
Importers, for their part, have to juggle 27 national authorities and no less than 111 separate IT interfaces, i.e. so many "silos" that hardly communicate with each other. This currently makes it easier for some companies to circumvent the EU's sanctions against Russia.