Program Overview

Introduction to the Continuing Education Customs and Excise Programme

The Continuing Education Customs and Excise is a modular and academic advanced course jointly organised by the University of Antwerp and ULiège, in cooperation with the Belgian Federal Public Service Finance and the private sector. The lecturers in this course have a background in academia, the customs administration, or the private sector, including tax lawyers.

General Information

The Antwerp Tax Academy offers an English basic module consisting of 20 hours (excluding exam), equivalent to the Dutch basic module (72 hours). This programme provides a general and up-to-date overview of the various legal, economic, and tax aspects of customs and excise in the European Union and in Belgium.

Course Information

In the English basic module, the basic concepts and elementary doctrines within the broad field of customs and excise are highlighted by lecturers from practice and academia. Participants in this programme will acquire a general and up-to-date overview of the various legal, economic, and tax aspects of customs and excise in the European Union and in Belgium.

Certificate

A participant who passes the exam receives a certificate that grants access to participate in one or more advanced modules. This certificate does not entitle the holder to Belgian accreditation of customs representation. Certificates will be issued three times a year (December, March, and June).

Duration and Form of the Training Course

This English course, consisting of 16 recordings of 75 to 90 minutes, can be followed 'on demand' at any time.

Exam

The course will be completed with a remote digital exam. The exam consists of 16 multiple-choice questions and is an open-book exam. The exam is taken entirely in English. A participant has passed the exam if they have obtained at least 10/16.

Language of Training

The recordings and teaching materials, including the exam, are available in English only.

Participation Requirements

The minimum requirement for participation in this programme is:

• Having already obtained a Bachelor's degree or
• Subject to prior admission, an equivalent level of competence as a result of sufficient relevant experience and/or additional training.

Price

The participation fee is EUR 1500 (all-in). Payments are made exclusively online and in euro. This price includes recordings, teaching materials, and the first exam. Participants who wish to take a resit (second session) must register again and pay an additional fee (online) of EUR 300.

Programme

The programme consists of the following modules:

1. General Introduction by Eric Van Dooren, Belgian Supreme Court judge and associate professor at the University of Antwerp.
2. Reflections and perspectives on EU customs policy by Timothy Lyons, lawyer at 39 Essex Chambers.
3. Elements of International Trade by Wouter Dewulf, professor at the University of Antwerp.
4. Customs and Excise as a policy domain by Kristian Vanderwaeren, general administrator at FOD Finance - AAD &A.
5. Customs and Trade Policy Measures by Philippe Heeren, lawyer at Amazon and lecturer in Customs and International Trade at the University of Tilburg.
6. Customs tariff by Kristof Verbist and Lotte Janssen, managers at EY Global Trade.
7. Origin by Kerstien Celis, lecturer in International Trade.
8. Customs valuation by Diederik Bogaerts, director at KPMG Tax Advisors - Global Trade & Customs Practice.
9. Entry of goods into the Customs Territory of the EU by Jan Van Wesemael, senior advisor at Alfaport-Voka - Customs & Compliance.
10. Customs procedures by Ward Lietaert, lawyer at Customs Legal and staff member at the University of Antwerp.
11. Customs declaration by Linda Fierens, customs expert at Customs Legal Solutions bv.
12. Customs debt by Alexander Baert, lawyer at Deloitte Legal.
13. Introduction to excises by Daan De Vlieger, partner at Global Trade Advisory Deloitte Conseils Fiscaux.
14. VAT Import and Export by Claire De Lepeleire, director at PWC, ITX.
15. Verification and investigation powers concerning C &E by Erhard Vermeulen, lawyer at Antaxius Lawyers cvba.
16. Litigation by Luc Vandevelde-Poelman, general advisor at FOD Financiën – AAD &A.

Recognitions

The training is eligible for:

• The Flemish training leave and training cheques.
• Recognition by IBJ for 20 points (continuing education).
• Recognition by ITAA for 20 hours.
• Training premium (PC336).

Target Audience

The English basic module is open to a mixed audience of participants, including civil servants, magistrates, service providers (lawyers, consultants), and private sector employees, particularly those wishing to further deepen their understanding of the functioning of customs and excise in the EU and in Belgium.

Teaching Material

The programme makes the following teaching materials available:

• 16 recordings
• A link to the digital law book (digital legislative bundle)
• A link to additional English source material
• Presentations of the guest lecturers

The teaching materials and recordings will be made available for a period of 3 months, starting from the moment the participant has received the login details.