Customs make sure that trade agreements concluded by the Community are respected (these agreements authorize levy modulated reductions according to the country of origin and the nature of products).

It offers to companies the possibility to benefit from reductions or from exemptions of customs duties with the following community devices: tariff contingents, suspensions or particular destinations while assuring the follow-up and the control.

It proposes to operators a reassurance of their sort declaration thanks to the liberalization of the information.

In the sector of textile products, it applies the agreement of "textiles clothes" which limits the exports of most sensitive textile products to member states of the European Union.

Besides this mission of protecting the community economic space, customs put its expertise and its international trade knowledge in the service of importing and exporting companies. (*)

Lyon Terminal offers you the container storage in suspension of duties and taxes on all the operating platforms (put under MADT).

The agreement of simplified transit which was signed on March 6th, 2006 between the regional managements of Marseille and Lyon, on one hand and River Shuttle Containers on the other hand allows to carry out customs formalities on board during the trip (i.e. a better flow of the traffic on the river).

Thanks to this procedure, a barge which arrives during a weekend gains 24 hours in customs clearance in comparison with the road.

See also our column "News, Customs"