In an effort to manage the rise of ecommerce, the EU Council has given its final approval for a major customs overhaul that’s the largest reform of its kind in many years. It clarifies who’s responsible for customs formalities, features a new penalty system to ensure EU standards are upheld, and implements a new EU-wide handling fee on small parcels.

Sellers and companies importing products into the EU need to prepare for these changes and ensure they’re doing everything by the book to avoid trouble.

The Key Changes of the Customs Reform

With this reform being one of the largest in decades, there are plenty of changes that are important for sellers and platforms to know about.

Non-EU Platforms are Responsible for Customs

Arguably the most notable part of this new and ambitious overhaul of the customs framework is the fact that it clarifies that non-EU ecommerce platforms are now responsible for ensuring that all customs formalities and duty payments are made, as opposed to the final EU consumer.

New Penalty System

Another major change is the new penalty system for ecommerce operators that fail to fulfill their customs-related obligations, such as ensuring the duty is paid and making sure that all EU standards are upheld.

While the penalties and fines may vary, the most serious cases of non-compliance may lead to fines of up to 6% of the company’s annual import value of goods in the previous year, as well as the removal of certain customs privileges and restricted access to online platforms.

Many products that enter the EU violate the rules, so it’s not surprising to see the EU Council implement these penalties to encourage importers to take compliance seriously and ensure their products meet all safety and/or data standards.

New EU Handling Fee

Finally, there’s also a new EU-wide handling fee on small packages, which is being implemented to help cover the rising costs associated with monitoring the growing number of these parcels being imported into the EU. The fee will be introduced by November 1st, 2026, and the European Commission will set the level of the fee before it begins being applied.

Sellers and importers should keep in mind that this fee is separate from the earlier decision to remove the customs duty exemption on small imported packages valued under €150.

Reliable and Transparent Businesses Get a Break

However, on a positive note for some sellers, this new legislation creates a new category of the most transparent businesses, which it calls trust and check traders. Under this, companies that provide detailed information on the compliance and movement of their goods, as well as adhere to other criteria, will enjoy simplified customs procedures, saving them both time and money.

On top of that, the most reliable companies will be able to import their goods and release them into circulation in the EU without any active customs intervention.

The Creation of the EU Customs Authority

The reform also establishes a new decentralized EU customs agency to coordinate governance of the customs union. This agency is in charge of analyzing the constantly updated import and export data contained in a brand-new state-of-the-art EU customs data hub.

The hub will serve as a central platform for both importers and exporters to interact with customs in the EU. This helps member states identify risky cargo that is prioritized for inspection. It’ll also help establish risk criteria and coordinate EU-level crisis management for customs.

Use of the new data hub to record both imports and exports will be required by ecommerce businesses on July 1st 2028.

Our Take

Preparing For How This Customs Reform May Impact Sellers

This is a massive change, and sellers all over the world that ship goods into the EU need to be aware of what it means for them. 

First, all sellers need to do all they can to adhere to the EU’s safety and regulatory standards. If you’re not careful about what you sell, you risk landing in trouble with platforms, as they don’t want to suffer penalties for your mistake or oversight about safety. Many platforms may also tighten controls to ensure all products are compliant before they agree to list them.

If you’re not careful about following the rules, you may find yourself or your products banned from platforms as they attempt to avoid facing penalties themselves.

Sellers also need to prepare for yet another fee on top of what the EU has already imposed. Despite the fee starting to be applied soon, the exact amount of the fee hasn’t been revealed, which is sure to frustrate some sellers.