The Bundestag approved a restructuring of the customs administration. The draft law was passed on Thursday with the votes of the governing coalition and the AfD party faction. The Left Party voted against it, and the Green Party abstained.
The “Law for more justice through the strengthening of the customs administration and the fight against financial crime” provides for the restructuring of the customs administration. Investigative and enforcement units are to be merged, and the customs administration’s powers in combating international money laundering will be expanded. According to the draft law, this includes the establishment of specialized investigative units and an administrative procedure to clarify assets “whose legal origin is reasonably doubted.” Furthermore, data exchange and cooperation with other actors are to be expanded.
Criticism was raised beforehand, primarily from the Left Party faction. In a separate motion, this faction proposed, among other things, the establishment of an independent investigative unit against organized tax crime. However, this motion did not achieve a majority in the parliament. Also unsuccessful was a motion by the Green Party, which included a “fully digital real estate transaction register” and an expansion of the cash ban for real estate purchases to include compulsory auctions.
The customs administration is part of the Federal Finance Administration and is responsible for collecting taxes and customs duties, monitoring cross-border goods traffic, and combating financial crime.
