November 10, 2026

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Indonesia EU CEPA Signing Races a January Tariff CliffCustoms Reform Makes Online Platforms Answer As Importers In EUCivil Protection Mechanism Carries Ukraine’s Winter NeedsGeographical Indications Dialogue Tests EU Farm Brand DefenceTobacco Taxation Directive Stalls As Malta Alone Withholds ConsentAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Clears Brussels With Refinish SalePhilippines Trade Deal Tests Brussels on Human Rights PledgesAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Cleared With Refinish SaleAir Passenger Rights Reform Keeps Three-Hour ThresholdCritical Medicines Act Deal Favours Made-in-EU SupplyDigital Euro Holding Caps Face Trilogue Test After ECON Committee VoteRule of Law Report 2026 Credits Hungary Reforms But Doubts RemainReturn Regulation Extends Detention To Two Years And Bans To TenEurope’s Public Procurement Act Bets On PreferenceOmya Antitrust Investigation Targets Exclusive RebatesAdvertising Repositories Guidance Puts Platform Ads In ViewDeforestation Rules Reach Large Operators On 30 December DeadlineKIDS Act Proposal Sets Age 15 Limit For Social Media AccountsAzerbaijan Partnership Talks Need More Than Gas And ConnectivityGulf Trade Deal Hopes Rest On The Next EU-GCC Summit DecisionIndonesia EU CEPA Signing Races a January Tariff CliffCustoms Reform Makes Online Platforms Answer As Importers In EUCivil Protection Mechanism Carries Ukraine’s Winter NeedsGeographical Indications Dialogue Tests EU Farm Brand DefenceTobacco Taxation Directive Stalls As Malta Alone Withholds ConsentAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Clears Brussels With Refinish SalePhilippines Trade Deal Tests Brussels on Human Rights PledgesAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Cleared With Refinish SaleAir Passenger Rights Reform Keeps Three-Hour ThresholdCritical Medicines Act Deal Favours Made-in-EU SupplyDigital Euro Holding Caps Face Trilogue Test After ECON Committee VoteRule of Law Report 2026 Credits Hungary Reforms But Doubts RemainReturn Regulation Extends Detention To Two Years And Bans To TenEurope’s Public Procurement Act Bets On PreferenceOmya Antitrust Investigation Targets Exclusive RebatesAdvertising Repositories Guidance Puts Platform Ads In ViewDeforestation Rules Reach Large Operators On 30 December DeadlineKIDS Act Proposal Sets Age 15 Limit For Social Media AccountsAzerbaijan Partnership Talks Need More Than Gas And ConnectivityGulf Trade Deal Hopes Rest On The Next EU-GCC Summit Decision
November 10, 2026

Newsletter

The European Post

Policy • Diplomacy • strategic insight

LATEST
Indonesia EU CEPA Signing Races a January Tariff CliffCustoms Reform Makes Online Platforms Answer As Importers In EUCivil Protection Mechanism Carries Ukraine’s Winter NeedsGeographical Indications Dialogue Tests EU Farm Brand DefenceTobacco Taxation Directive Stalls As Malta Alone Withholds ConsentAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Clears Brussels With Refinish SalePhilippines Trade Deal Tests Brussels on Human Rights PledgesAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Cleared With Refinish SaleAir Passenger Rights Reform Keeps Three-Hour ThresholdCritical Medicines Act Deal Favours Made-in-EU SupplyDigital Euro Holding Caps Face Trilogue Test After ECON Committee VoteRule of Law Report 2026 Credits Hungary Reforms But Doubts RemainReturn Regulation Extends Detention To Two Years And Bans To TenEurope’s Public Procurement Act Bets On PreferenceOmya Antitrust Investigation Targets Exclusive RebatesAdvertising Repositories Guidance Puts Platform Ads In ViewDeforestation Rules Reach Large Operators On 30 December DeadlineKIDS Act Proposal Sets Age 15 Limit For Social Media AccountsAzerbaijan Partnership Talks Need More Than Gas And ConnectivityGulf Trade Deal Hopes Rest On The Next EU-GCC Summit DecisionIndonesia EU CEPA Signing Races a January Tariff CliffCustoms Reform Makes Online Platforms Answer As Importers In EUCivil Protection Mechanism Carries Ukraine’s Winter NeedsGeographical Indications Dialogue Tests EU Farm Brand DefenceTobacco Taxation Directive Stalls As Malta Alone Withholds ConsentAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Clears Brussels With Refinish SalePhilippines Trade Deal Tests Brussels on Human Rights PledgesAkzoNobel Axalta Merger Cleared With Refinish SaleAir Passenger Rights Reform Keeps Three-Hour ThresholdCritical Medicines Act Deal Favours Made-in-EU SupplyDigital Euro Holding Caps Face Trilogue Test After ECON Committee VoteRule of Law Report 2026 Credits Hungary Reforms But Doubts RemainReturn Regulation Extends Detention To Two Years And Bans To TenEurope’s Public Procurement Act Bets On PreferenceOmya Antitrust Investigation Targets Exclusive RebatesAdvertising Repositories Guidance Puts Platform Ads In ViewDeforestation Rules Reach Large Operators On 30 December DeadlineKIDS Act Proposal Sets Age 15 Limit For Social Media AccountsAzerbaijan Partnership Talks Need More Than Gas And ConnectivityGulf Trade Deal Hopes Rest On The Next EU-GCC Summit Decision

Customs Reform Makes Online Platforms Answer As Importers In EU

Valon Behrami
Member State Correspondent, Customs Union

Lille: The customs reform is now moving from legislation to practice, and its biggest change lands on online marketplaces, which the new rules treat as importers. The Council gave the package a green light on 3 September 2026, and trade reports say a handling fee on parcels from non-EU sellers started to apply on 1 November.

Parliament and the Council reached a provisional deal on the Union Customs Code in March 2026, according to the European Parliament. The reform covers e-commerce, product safety and the efficiency of customs procedures. The Council later announced the landmark reform in a press release.

Under the customs reform, platforms and sellers that facilitate distance sales of non-EU goods directly to EU consumers must act as importers. They have to provide customs data, pay or guarantee customs charges and make sure goods comply with EU law. The Brussels Times reports that they must also be established in the EU, or represented by an EU-based entity with authorised economic operator status.

Enforcement carries real weight. Companies that repeatedly ignore the rules could face fines of at least 1% and up to 6% of the total value of goods they imported into the EU over the previous 12 months, according to the Brussels Times. Customs authorities could also suspend or revoke trusted trader status and flag firms as high risk.

The package rewards cooperative traders too. A simplified trust and check regime offers fewer checks and more payment flexibility to firms that accept vetting and give customs access to their electronic systems. Large importers with clean records stand to gain the most from this part of the customs reform.

The handling fee is the change that consumers and small sellers notice first. It applies to each item that enters the EU from a non-EU country and goes directly to an EU consumer. The Commission sets the level and reassesses it every two years, and member states had to start collecting once the IT system worked and no later than 1 November 2026. Trade outlets report a charge of EUR 2 per item.

Longer-term plans in the customs reform rest on data. The EU Customs Data Hub is expected to become optional by 2031 and mandatory by 2034, and it would replace at least 111 software systems that national customs services use today. A new EU Customs Authority, based in Lille, would manage the hub.

Those dates show how long the customs reform transition will last. National administrations have to connect their systems, while platforms must decide whether to appoint representatives in the Union. Smaller sellers outside Europe may find the compliance burden heavy, and some may drop EU consumers rather than pay.

The Brussels Times article dates from March, and it does not say whether lawmakers completed every formal vote since then. Readers who handle imports should check the official texts for current application dates. For now, the customs reform gives platforms, sellers and customs officers a clear direction, and the first weeks of the new fee will show how smoothly the rules work in practice.

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