Overview
- The European Union has put a permanent €2 management fee into effect for online purchases from outside the bloc, applied per product category within a shipment.
- The fee sits alongside a temporary €3 low‑value tariff for items under €150 that started in July and will remain in place until mid‑2028.
- New rules formally make platforms and sellers in third countries the legal importers, require them to supply customs data and carry import costs, and allow penalties including fines up to 6% of prior‑year import value for repeat breaches.
- Consumer groups welcome extra resources for inspections but warn platforms may try to shift the charge onto buyers and urge member states to spend receipts on stronger checks to catch unsafe or illegal goods.
- The reform also creates a European Customs Authority based in Lille and a phased EU e‑commerce customs data platform due to begin use in 2028 and become the single mandatory entry point by 2034.