Overview
- EU lawmakers and governments struck a provisional agreement to rewrite the Customs Code to cope with a flood of low‑value parcels and to tighten checks on goods sold online into the bloc.
- A new per‑parcel handling fee will apply to items shipped from outside the EU to consumers, with the European Commission setting the rate and reviewing it every two years, and collection starting once new IT is ready or by November 1, 2026 at the latest.
- Online sellers and marketplaces that facilitate distance sales into the EU will be treated as the importer, which means they must provide full customs data, pay or guarantee charges, and ensure the goods meet EU rules while being established in the EU or represented by an EU‑based trusted operator.
- The reform creates an EU Customs Authority in Lille to coordinate risk management and run a central data hub, which becomes optional by 2031 and mandatory by 2034 to replace scores of national systems and give a single view of incoming goods.
- Repeat rule‑breakers face fines of 1% to 6% of their prior‑year EU import value, possible loss of trusted status, and a high‑risk flag, with lawmakers saying platforms such as Temu, SHEIN, and AliExpress are squarely in scope.