Assessing the alignment of the aid with the rules of the internal market is the task of the Commission.
The Main Customs Office in Braunschweig, Germany, had a remarkable year in 2024, processing over 5.9 million shipments and collecting nearly 2.3 billion euros in taxes. This significant achievement was accompanied by a series of notable enforcement actions and seizures.
In the enforcement and disposal department, known as Department G, the office handled 269,527 cases, collecting over 88.1 million euros in outstanding claims. The department also oversees the disposal of seized items and the destruction of secured goods via the internet platform www.zoll-auktion.de.
One of the most notable enforcement actions was a large-scale search measure carried out by the Financial Control Office for Undeclared Work (FKS) against a company in the building cleaning industry in December 2024.
The KEV division of the Main Customs Office Braunschweig was particularly active, seizing over 219 kg of tobacco, 286,740 pieces of cigarettes, cigars/cigarillos, and heets, and over 271.7 liters of substitutes for tobacco products (liquids) from kiosks, shisha bars, and tobacco shops in Wolfsburg in May 2024. They also conducted 19,472 vehicle, object, and person inspections in 2024, which was over 27% more than the previous year.
The FKS initiated 3,997 investigation procedures regarding criminal offenses and administrative offenses in 2024, resulting in damages of over 11.7 million euros, representing an increase of over 140% compared to 2023.
The Main Customs Office Braunschweig is home to over 647 permanent employees and 89 trainees, with the Financial Control Office for Undeclared Work boasting over 220 staff members.
For those interested in a career with the customs service, the Main Customs Office Braunschweig is still looking for applicants. Training and study will start on September 1, 2026, and applications must be submitted by October 15, 2025.
The annual statistics for the Main Customs Office Braunschweig can be found in the "2024 Annual Statistics of the Main Customs Office Braunschweig.pdf" document, available for download, and a press release for the 2024 annual report can be found on their website.
It's important to note that the responsibility for conducting administrative investigations and proceedings related to undeclared work in the federal states of Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) and Saxony-Anhalt lies with the competent authorities designated by the respective state governments. In Germany, enforcement of undeclared work is often coordinated with customs enforcement, especially regarding social security violations and undeclared employment. However, the specific entities responsible in Niedersachsen and Sachsen-Anhalt were not explicitly identified in the search results.
For further information on the Main Customs Office Braunschweig, training and study opportunities, or to contact the press spokesperson Dagmar Taeger, please visit their website or email [email protected]@zoll.bund.de.
