National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF)
The Customs Administration of the Netherlands and the business sector regularly consult on the flow of goods entering and exiting the EU. These meetings take the shape of the National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF).
Subjects for discussion
Subjects discussed during the NCTF include customs logistics and the customs processes, both on the level of practical issues and on that of strategic themes. In addition, the parties discuss matters like IT systems adjustments and the implementation terms for new legislation. All topics are discussed in general terms only. Individual cases are not considered.
In addition to the NCTF General, 3 working groups have been set up:
- NCTF Current
This workgroup considers current (implementation) issues for the primary Customs process that need to be addressed in the short term. - NCTF MT (Medium-term)
This working group considers issues that arise from the implementation of the Union Customs Code. We also discuss developments in the cooperation with other enforcement agencies in the context of cross-border logistics. - NCTF IT (Information Technology)
This working group considers specific IT-related issues.
- Check the schedule of all NCTF meetings (only available in Dutch)
- Check the agendas and meeting documents of all NCTF meetings (only available in Dutch)
Government representatives
The NCTF is chaired by the Customs Administration of the Netherlands. Depending on the agenda items, other government bodies regularly join the meetings:
- The Directorate-General for Fiscal Affairs of the Ministry of Finance
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate
In addition, the following regulators join the NCTF, to the extent they share tasks with the Customs Administration of the Netherlands:
- The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority
- The Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate
Business sector representatives
The following national umbrella organisations playing a role in cross-border customs logistics, too, are NCTF partners:
- ACN (Air Cargo Netherlands)
- Evofenedex (Business Association for trade and logistics and the Federation of Dutch Exporters)
- Fenex (Netherlands Organisation of Freight Forwarders)
- The Dutch association for Transport and Logistics
- United of The Netherlands Shipbrokers
- The Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (employer’s organisation)
- The Dutch Federation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (organisation for enterprises)
- Union of The Netherlands Terminal Operators
- Customs Software Providers Alliance
In addition to these umbrella organisations, the following organisations are represented in the NCTF Current working group:
- The Dutch Association of Tax Advisors
- The Dutch Register of Tax Advisors
Contact details NCTF
Do you have any questions about the National Committee on Trade Facilitation (NCTF) (Overleg Douane Bedrijfsleven (ODB))? Please send an email to ODB@douane.nl
