Overview
- The new €2 fee, which took effect Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, is charged per product category within a parcel and is permanent subject to a two‑year Commission review cycle.
- The Commission says sellers or importers must pay the charge rather than consumers, and the fee is intended to finance more inspections, risk checks and lab tests to spot illegal or unsafe goods.
- Under the wider reform, online marketplaces and overseas vendors are reclassified as importers and must supply entry data, pay import costs, ensure product compliance and face sanctions for breaches including fines up to 6% of prior‑year import value.
- Consumer groups welcome the extra resources but warn member states must use the revenue for enforcement and that platforms could still try to pass the cost to buyers in the checkout despite legal limits.
- The package also creates a European Customs Authority based in Lille and sets a phased rollout of a pan‑EU e‑customs data platform starting in 2028 that aims to become the single entry point for customs data by 2034.