Originally Posted by
ROKNA
This is how the rest of the world operates, the US CBP has its own awkward and unnecessary protocol which only applies in the US, the rest of the world doesn't care and has a much more sensible approach.
With regards to the customs clearance at final destination policy, this seems to invite abuse, and it probably is being abused. How easy is it to make a green tag yourself and apply it to your bag when you retrieve it from the carousel? Or reuse a tag from a previous flight ex-Schengen. Or even easier, find a lost green bag tag in the reclaim area and apply it to your bag. Or if your checked bag could qualify as a carry-on, remove your non-green tag and walk out with no tag. Sure, you'll get in serious problems if caught, but then again, customs officers basically check for non-green tags, so the chances of being randomly inspected with a green tag are almost nil.
From my experience, custom inspections in the EU rank among the laxest in the world, although it depends on the country. I've even seen several customs stations completely uncrewed during times when no long-haul ex-Schengen flights are arriving, ignoring the fact that there may still be arriving pax that fly in after having connected in a Schengen airport from an ex-Schengen flight. So maybe it makes sense in this lax approach that seems to trust the traveling public blindly. But as a US citizen, I prefer the stricter CBP approach. I'm not saying it is foolproof, but there is a reason why custom procedures exist, and a lax approach won't help.