On discontinuing the issuance of Economic Operators Registration and Identification numbers (EORI) statistical numbers 

Petition addressed to: Petitionsausschuss des Europäischen Parlaments

The petitioner calls for discontinuation of the EORI statistical numbering procedure for economic operators within the EU wishing to sell goods outside the EU. Currently, every EU-registered business entity that sells any item outside the Common Market is obliged to apply to the customs and tax authorities for an EORI number. Without this number, the sale is not possible, because it will not be cleared for customs purposes. According to the petitioner, the procedure for granting an EORI application requires many time-consuming and difficult steps (e.g. the need to obtain a qualified signature that can be used in the electronic application process). The information that has to be provided in the application for an EORI number is already available to the tax and customs administration authorities, so according to the petitioner, it is a superfluous bureaucratic procedure, which hinders the activity of EU entrepreneurs in their trade with customers from outside the Community.