Could Zagreb become home to Europe’s new Customs Authority?

Zagreb

ZAGREB, 29 Nov (Hina) – The Croatian government on Thursday decided to submit Croatia’s candidacy to host the European Customs Authority in the office building constructed for the Southeast European Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (SEECEL), located in Novi Zagreb.

The building currently serves as the temporary headquarters of the University of Zagreb Rectorate, which was relocated because its original building at Trg Republike Hrvatske was heavily damaged in the March 2020 earthquake and is undergoing restoration.

Tereza Rogić Lugarić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, explained at today’s government session that the European Commission, as part of the Customs Union reform, proposed establishing the European Customs Authority to enhance 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 seat, and on 17 October, a call for applications from member states was announced.

SEECEL building in Zagreb

The target move-in date is 1 July 2028, with staff gradually recruited over nine years. The financial model includes nine years of co-financing operational costs and a 20-year lease with the possibility of extension. Annual maintenance and utility costs are estimated at €360,000.

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