The Council of the European Union has approved the reform of the European customs system, one of the most extensive in recent decades. The new rules establish that e-commerce platforms outside the EU will be considered official importers and will be responsible for paying customs duties and complying with European standards for goods sold to consumers, reports IPN.
Until now, these responsibilities fell on the end consumer. Companies that do not comply with the rules risk fines of up to 6% of the annual value of imports, loss of customs privileges, or restrictions on access to the European market.
The reform envisages the creation of a new EU customs authority, headquartered in Lille, France, which will become operational in 2027. It will manage a European customs data hub for more efficient identification of risk goods. Its use will be mandatory for e-commerce companies from July 1, 2028, and for all traders, from March 1, 2034.
From November 1, 2026, a single EU-wide tariff will also be introduced for the processing of small parcels from e-commerce, the level of which will be set by the European Commission.
The reform project is set to be approved by the European Parliament, after which it will be published in the Official Journal of the EU.
According to the data presented by the Council, the EU Customs Union manages an annual trade of over 4,300 billion euros, representing about 14% of global trade. In 2025, customs authorities collected nearly 31 billion euros in taxes and processed approximately six billion e-commerce packages, over 90% of which came from China.
