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Collapse in inspection rates and wide member-state disparities

• The EU control rate fell to 65 items per million imported in 2025 — the lowest level recorded . The rate of goods refused at the border for non-compliance or serious risk dropped below 10 items per million .
• In 2024, customs authorities carried out only 82 product compliance interventions per million items — a systematic deterioration in relative enforcement performance .
• There are major differences in enforcement performance across member states. In 2024, authorities in just six member states were responsible for supervising 89% of directly imported e-commerce goods . The Commission's own report points to "major differences" in enforcement performance between national customs authorities .

€3 customs duty (effective July 1, 2026) and planned €2 handling fee

• From July 1, 2026, the EU applies a temporary flat €3 customs duty per item on low-value consignments (up to €150) imported from outside the EU, replacing the previous duty exemption . This measure is explicitly aimed at curbing imports from platforms like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress .
• The €3 duty is temporary until July 1, 2028, after which normal customs duties will apply .
• From November 2026, an additional handling fee will apply to each small parcel valued under €150. Multiple sources report this fee is set at €2 per parcel, though the Commission still needs to formally set and periodically review the amount . (Note: the exact confirmed figure from the Commission's official publications could not be independently reverified within the search budget.)

Over half of toys and small electronics failed compliance checks

• An EU-wide large-scale customs control operation (Priority Control Area) checked 20,000 toys, cosmetics, and small electronics shipped directly to EU consumers from third countries .
• More than half of the toys and small electronics checked failed to comply with EU product safety rules . One source reports the failure rate exceeded 60% . Most of these non-compliant goods originated from Chinese e-commerce platforms .

Structural reforms: online platform liability and the Customs Data Hub

• Under the broader EU customs reform, online platforms selling to EU consumers will be classified as importers and will bear responsibility for duty payments and product safety compliance . They will also face fines for importing unsafe products .
• A central EU Customs Data Hub is planned to become operational around mid-2028 . It is designed to harmonize customs enforcement across all member states, reduce imbalances in control performance, and give authorities a single digital system for risk analysis and real-time data sharing .
• Until the Data Hub is fully functional, the €3 flat fee and the forthcoming handling fee serve as interim measures to manage the import surge .