EU Customs Reform: The Biggest Change Since 1968

EU new customs rules reform e-commerce 2026

The European Union has agreed on a major reform of its customs rules. This is the biggest change to EU customs since 1968 — nearly sixty years ago.

Customs are the rules and taxes that apply when goods cross international borders. The old rules were designed for a world very different from today.

In 1968, people did not shop online. There were no websites like Amazon, Temu, or Shein where you can buy cheap items directly from factories in China and have them delivered to your home in a few days.

The new rules are specifically designed to deal with e-commerce — shopping online. Millions of small packages arrive in Europe every day from outside the EU.

Many of these come from China. In the past, some of these packages avoided paying customs duties because they were too small and too cheap to be checked.

Under the new rules, all packages will be tracked more carefully using modern digital systems. Companies that sell to European customers must register and pay proper taxes.

This protects European businesses, which must pay all applicable taxes and follow all safety rules. It also ensures that dangerous or fake products are identified more easily.