The days of leaving customs to consumers are coming to an end. Under the new rules, online marketplaces selling into the EU will take responsibility for customs formalities, duties and product safety.
Governments across the bloc signed off on the plan on Thursday, sealing a political agreement the Council of the EU reached with the European Parliament back in March. The reform is designed to tighten controls on goods entering the EU while easing the path for traders who play by the rules.
Online marketplaces selling directly to EU consumers from outside the bloc will now count as importers, not the shoppers who buy from them. The platforms, not customers, must handle customs formalities and ensure duties are paid.
The scale of online trade has placed growing pressure on national authorities. In 2025, some 84,000 officials across 2,200 customs offices handled around 6bn e-commerce parcels. More than 90 per cent of those arrived from China. Customs staff also processed over 1.5bn items in traditional trade and collected almost €31bn in duties.
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New authority will coordinate checks
The reform will establish an EU Customs Authority in Lille with approximately 250 employees. It will identify common risks, recommend priority areas for inspections and coordinate responses to customs crises. National authorities will remain responsible for conducting checks at borders.
A central Customs Data Hub will allow companies to submit import and export information through one system instead of dealing with separate national platforms. It is expected to open for e-commerce consignments in July 2028 before gradually expanding to other traders. The Commission estimates that replacing national customs IT infrastructure could save member states up to €2bn annually.
Particularly transparent companies could receive simplified procedures under a new “Trust and Check” status. In return, they would provide customs authorities with greater access to information about their supply chains and the movement of their goods.
The Council’s approval is not the final legislative step. The European Parliament must formally endorse the agreed text, and is expected to do so later in September, before the regulation can be published and enter into force. The principal digital systems will be introduced gradually over the following years.
