On 14 October 2026, the Customs Ecosystem Congress “From Text to Practice” was held at the Salle académique of the University of Liège, marking the first anniversary of the Vilnius Manifesto. The congress was convened by the Customs Business Academia Group (cBAG) together with the Faculty of Law, Political Science & Criminology of the University of Liège.

Prof. Hans-Michael Wolffgang chaired and opened the Academic Section. It began with a roundtable on the role of academia in the training and education of trusted operators, followed by a second roundtable on research in customs law, that in particular the delegation of powers to the Commission and its implementing powers, as well as further research topics relevant to the reform. Prof. Wolffgang took part in this panel alongside Prof. Giangiacomo D’Angelo (University of Bologna), Prof. Jean-Luc Albert (Aix-Marseille) and Prof. Dr. Momchil Antov (Tsenov Academy). The Academic Section concluded with a synthesis and draft academic recommendations.

The ICTL was further represented by Dr Christopher Dallimore, who contributed to the first roundtable.

The wider programme included keynotes on the EU customs code reform and the six pillars of the Vilnius Manifesto, on digital implementation, the EU Customs Data Hub and the role of TARIC, and on the Irish Presidency’s priorities, as well as a trade section with roundtables on the Data Hub and EUCA and on Trust & Check, the import process and risk management. The congress also saw the inaugural presentation of the Teloneum Aureum, an award for outstanding public service in customs.