The Observatory, the Illicit Cigarette Database and a Green Customs Game: Day Three of the BORDERLINK Mid-Term Event

Thursday 3 September 2026 was the third day of the Mid-Term Demonstrations and Assessments with the visiting customs representatives present. The day focused on an online observatory, a seized cigarettes intelligence database, a training game on Green Customs.

The BORDERLINK Observatory

The day started with a presentation of the BORDERLINK Observatory, which is now up and running on the project’s website. The service brings together information on relevant projects, studies and technologies in one online place. The purpose of the session was to introduce the external customs participants to the service and to encourage them to subscribe. That worked as the Observatory gained several new followers over the course of the mid-term trial week.

An intelligence database of seized cigarettes

The second main topic of the day was the intelligence database of seized cigarettes, whose first mock-up user interface was shown to the audience. The idea of the database is to link cigarette seizures to the suppliers of filter materials — filter rods and acetate tow — and in that way build a better picture of which companies are supplying illicit cigarette makers with critical raw materials. The database could also give insights into how cigarette seizures are trending in different EU countries, and whether illicit cigarettes encountered in one country originate from the same factory as those found in another.

Green Customs game

The afternoon was dedicated to the educational game on Green Customs addressing the topical question: how Digital Product Passports could be used in customs risk assessment and controls to identify illicit or non-compliant products. BORDERLINK partner Cross-border Research Association (CBRA), building on its experience with online training material, had developed the first version of a hybrid tabletop and online game in which customs officers work through a set of documents and other evidence to decide whether or not to seize a shipment of teddy bears.

The game was praised for its authenticity, its creativity and its usefulness in demonstrating risk assessment, document review and the use of external data sources in compliance checks. Several copies of the gamepack were taken home by customs participants to be shown to colleagues in their own administrations.

The first EU Customs Forum

The day concluded with the first EU Customs Forum. This was the final session for collecting feedback, and the focus was deliberately practical: how to make sure that BORDERLINK innovations are actually taken up by customs administrations once the project ends, and how to identify and tackle the barriers to implementation early enough to do something about them. The barriers raised included long and complex procurement procedures, availability of funds and the need for awareness building of emerging products and services.

Farewell to the visitors

Coordinator Frank Janssens closed the meeting by thanking the customs experts for their active participation. The consortium partners would meet for one more day, but the external experts departed at the end of this one. All participants were invited to the final BORDERLINK event in around 18 months.