Could Zagreb become the seat of Europe's new customs authority?

Zagreb

ZAGREB, November 29 (Hina) – The Croatian government decided on Thursday to submit Croatia's candidacy to house the European Customs Authority in the office building built for the Southeast European Center for Entrepreneurial Learning (SEECEL) in Novi Zagreb.

The building currently serves as the temporary headquarters of the Rectorate of the University of Zagreb, which was relocated as its original building on Trg Republike Hrvatske was severely damaged in the March 2020 earthquake and is currently being restored.

Tereza Rogić Lugarić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, explained at today's government meeting that, as part of the reform of the Customs Union, the European Commission proposed the establishment of a European Customs Authority to improve coordination, risk analysis, IT systems, training and crisis management at the EU level.

The Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed on criteria for selecting the agency's headquarters and a call for applications from Member States was announced on 17 October.

SEECEL building in Zagreb

The planned move-in date is July 1, 2028, with staff being hired gradually over a period of nine years. The financial model includes nine years of co-financing of operating costs and a 20-year rental agreement with the possibility of extension. Annual maintenance and operating costs are estimated at €360,000.

So far, official candidacies have been confirmed by France, Poland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium.