Introduction

Finnish Customs’ new strategy for 2025–2029 was approved at the end of 2024, making us an even stronger security authority. To ensure the effectiveness and social impact of Customs’ activities and performance of our duties, we cooperate closely with other authorities, our partners and our customers. The cooperation between the police, Finnish Customs and the Finnish Border Guard (PCB cooperation), which plays a major role in Finnish Customs’ enforcement sector, also gained a new strategy towards the end of the year. The strategy, which came into effect at the start of 2025, further intensifies the important collaboration between control and law enforcement.

In addition to changes in the security environment, global trade is changing, and information flows have grown exponentially. The sharp rise in international e-commerce challenges the current customs clearance format and other customs activities as a part of the activities of the EU Customs Union. Stricter global trade policy makes trade flows and transportation routes harder to predict. Finnish Customs plays an increasingly significant role in safeguarding foreign trade, enabling efficiency and knowing logistics chains in this changing operating environment. Changes in the internal security environment and the challenging state of public finances have also become a reality.

Our preparedness and contingencies for hard-to-predict incidents have been increased, and everything we do will highlight safety and security, not to forget the competitiveness of Finland and the EU, the smooth running of the legal goods trade, as well as ensuring the preconditions for fair competition and smooth customs services for companies. For us, security is not only about control and crime prevention, but also about ensuring the safety of products, protecting everyday life and the environment as well as fiscal security.

UN Sustainable Development Goals and the role of Customs

Finnish Customs is also involved in the promotion of actions that boost sustainability internationally. We are involved in the joint efforts of European Union Member States to promote sustainable development and combat climate change. As a member of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), Finnish Customs works with other customs authorities around the world to promote the responsible and environmentally sustainable implementation of foreign trade transportation and customs processes. The World Customs Organisation has also identified the role of customs authorities in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We have identified the six SDGs on which we have the greatest impact through our actions:

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These are the same as in the sustainability reports for 2023, 2022 and 2021.

Finnish Customs’ sustainability actions

This 2024 sustainability report describes how Finnish Customs has increased its handprint (its positive impact) and reduced its footprint (its negative impact) in its operating environment through its actions.

The actions we take to promote our goals are divided into four categories:
Action 1: Efficient interactions and fair competitive conditions
Action 2: Protecting society
Action 3: Protecting health and the environment
Action 4: Sustainable and reliable Finnish Customs

In the chapter “Support at the workplace and Finnish Customs’ environmental footprint”, we discuss how we can reduce the ecological and social consequences of our operations – in other words, reduce our footprint.
 
We provide more information about our actions in Finnish Customs’ various areas of responsibility in this sustainability report. We welcome you to learn about Finnish Customs’ wide range of sustainability actions through many practical examples.

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Efficiency and security – with knowledge and technology
Finnish Customs Sustainability Report 2023
Finnish Customs Sustainability Report 2022 (in Finnish)
Finnish Customs Sustainability Report 2021 (in Finnish)