The social impact of Finnish Customs is measured in euros, trust and increased security
Finnish Customs operates on behalf of 11 ministries, which means that carrying out our diverse tasks responsibly has a broad impact on our society. The impact of our results can be measured not only in euros, but also in terms of an increased sense of security. In 2024, Customs once again earned the trust of citizens and decision-makers, which we strengthen through open communication and responsible actions in our daily work.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the trade war started by the United States, changes in consumer habits and the explosive growth of e-commerce are just a few current examples of the rapid changes that also affect everyday life in Finland. Finnish Customs plays an increasingly significant role in safeguarding foreign trade, enabling efficiency and knowing logistics chains in this changing operating environment.
“As a security authority, Finnish Customs has an increasing responsibility for the security of society and all of its citizens. Customs’ duties and carrying them out play a central role in the realisation of responsibility in our society in a broader context, and they also have ripple effects,” says Sami Rakshit, Director General of Finnish Customs.
The work of public authorities is based on trust. Customs ranked 13th among government organisations in the Reputation&Trust survey in 2024. The trust that citizens place in Customs is important, as the impact of our work is ultimately visible in their everyday lives. For example, Customs ensures that consumers are not exposed to harmful substances, children play with safe toys, substances that cause ozone depletion or loss of biodiversity are not imported into our region and companies coming to Finland commit to the Finnish circular economy system. A comprehensive description of our tasks can be found in the Finnish Customs Sustainability Report 2024 (in Finnish, the English translation will be published later), where we use practical examples to illustrate how we promote responsibility in our daily work and the impact that our work has.
We generated EUR 263 million for the state treasury and developed our services
The amount of taxes and fees collected by Customs in 2024 was EUR 263.2 million. Additional customs duties and taxes totalling approximately EUR 8.9 million were collected based on post-clearance audit. Without these measures, companies would have gained an unfair competitive advantage, the EU would have lost internal assets and the Finnish government would have missed out on tax revenue.
By developing our e-services, we promote tax compliance as well as equal opportunities for companies and citizens to interact with us. The reform of the EU customs legislation and the development of customs clearance systems have been a major undertaking for the customs authorities in the EU. In 2024, we reformed our export declaration process as a part of the new Customs Clearance Service. The reform also required improvements to customer service and extensive training for advisers on the new legislation and declarations. In addition, the explosive growth of e-commerce kept Customs busy, and we had to increase the capacity of our systems.
Crime prevention impact worth EUR 127 million – drug-related crime on the rise
In 2024, the impact of Finnish Customs’ crime prevention activities totalled EUR 127 million. The value of the proceeds of crime recovered was EUR 56 million, the value of items that were not confiscated was EUR 50 million and the value of the taxes avoided was EUR 21 million in total.
The number of drug offences registered by Customs increased significantly compared to previous years. In 2024, Customs uncovered a total of 5,527 offences, of which 2,055 were drug offences. The number of large drug offences increased, and there were more aggravated narcotics offences than ever before (562). Confiscations of marijuana, cocaine and amphetamines in particular surpassed the threshold for aggravated offences. In 2024, Customs confiscated a total of 2,052 kg of drugs, almost double the amount confiscated in the previous year.
Finnish Customs has been kept busy with the European Union's sanctions against Russia and the related investigations. Since the eastern border was closed, the number of minor regulation offences has fallen significantly. However, the numbers of ordinary and aggravated regulation offences have remained high. In 2024, Finnish Customs recorded nearly 100 regulation offences related to sanctions violations, 35 of which were investigated as aggravated offences. The courts have convicted several dozen offenders.