France's Lille to host new EU customs authority

"The new body is part of the EU's overhaul of its customs rules and Brussels has said the authority will centralise European efforts to tackle fierce pressure from a myriad of issues including the proliferation of e-commerce."

"A large focus of the EU's customs reforms has been the proliferation of small parcels ordered via Chinese platforms, which European governments and businesses say has led to unfair competition as well as health and safety risks for consumers."

"EU ministers in December agreed to impose a 3 duty on low-value imports into the bloc from July 2026, a month after the bloc opted to scrap a duty exemption for parcels worth less than 150 imported directly to consumers."

Lille has been selected to host the future European Union customs authority, aimed at addressing the influx of cheap Chinese parcel imports. This decision is part of the EU's broader customs reform initiative. The authority will centralize efforts to combat issues related to e-commerce and unfair competition. The EU plans to impose a duty on low-value imports starting in July 2026. In 2024, 4.6 billion small retail packages entered the EU, with a significant majority coming from China, indicating a growing trend.

Read at www.thelocal.fr