French Customs withers as European borders become a 'sieve'

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It won’t come as too much of a surprise to hear that Europe’s borders, as far as freight goes, are rather porous. Budget cuts, competition among ports and airports and fewer Customs officers mean that – according to one estimate – 99.7% of products entering the EU are not verified by any authority. Customs services say they are “overwhelmed and impotent”. But while Europe appears to be a “big sieve” at least as far as sea freight goes, it is ...