The EU Customs Code needs a thorough revamp due to the exponential growth of e-commerce and many new product standards, bans, obligations and sanctions the EU has put in place in recent years. The reform introduces new tools and puts in place simpler processes to help customs authorities to work more efficiently and focus on checking the riskiest goods, shipments and traders.

New approach to e-commerce

Consumers order more and more goods from third countries online. These goods do not necessarily meet the EU’s safety or environmental standards and legal norms. Additionally, approximately 65% of parcels entering the EU are deliberately undervalued, which leads to a significant loss in revenue.

The new regulation places a bigger responsibility on web platforms, which would be obliged to submit information to EU customs authorities within one day about purchased goods to be shipped to the EU. This leads to a better overview of incoming shipments and enables customs authorities to…