ICS2 is the EU’s security and import control platform, designed to tighten supply chain monitoring. After air cargo and maritime shipping, it was extended to rail and road transport in April 2025. Now, road hauliers face the full obligation: the ENS must be lodged at least one hour before arriving at the EU border.
The declaration requires detailed data about each shipment – including the buyer, seller, place of receipt and delivery, as well as a six-digit HS code and product description. The haulier bears full responsibility for submitting complete and accurate information, which means gathering data from multiple partners across the supply chain.
The EU argues that the system will help identify threats earlier, improve border security, and streamline customs communication.
“We face chaos at the borders”
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has called on the European Commission to introduce a six-month EU-wide transition period. Without it, the organisation warns, hauliers face a patchwork of rules depending on the country of entry.
“Submitting the ENS will become a bureaucratic puzzle for road hauliers,” said Raluca Marian, EU Advocacy Director at IRU. “If Europe moves at two speeds, why not officially adopt it and simplify the system by deferring implementation for all?”
The IRU warns that inconsistency risks fines, delays, border jams, and difficult decisions for companies choosing their entry routes.
Two-speed Europe
The Commission has allowed for “derogations” – optional deferrals until the end of 2025. Many countries have taken this up:
- Postponed until end-2025: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain.
- No postponement – obligation applies from 1 September 2025: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden.
For hauliers, this means the rules depend not on where their business is based, but on which border they cross.
A challenge for hauliers
Experts agree that ICS2 is a milestone in securing EU supply chains. But with uneven implementation, they fear uncertainty, costs, and administrative overload.
“The system is necessary, but without a common transitional period, we risk border paralysis and customs administration overload,” warned the IRU.
Until the Commission responds, hauliers must adapt to a new reality: one where compliance depends less on their home country and more on their chosen entry point into the EU.
