The Council of the European Union gave its final approval to the major customs reform on 3 September 2026. The procedure is not yet completely concluded. The European Parliament must confirm the negotiated text in a second reading. The vote is scheduled for 16 September.
An important point concerns online commerce. Platforms and sellers that sell goods from a non-EU country directly to private customers in the EU are to be treated more strongly like importers for customs purposes. This means they bear greater responsibility for correct data, customs payments, and compliance with EU regulations. The end customer should not have to resolve these issues upon delivery.
This is relevant for Swiss traders if they ship goods directly to customers in Germany, France, Italy, or other EU countries. They must verify who acts as the importer upon entry and who represents them within the EU. Cooperation with parcel services, platforms, and customs agents should also be clearly regulated in contracts.
Additionally, a new EU-wide processing fee for small packages from online commerce is coming. It is scheduled to start no later than 1 November 2026. The EU Commission must still determine the exact amount. The fee is not the existing transitional tariff of 3 euros. This has been levied since 1 July 2026 on shipments under 150 euros per product category contained.
The major technical changes will come later. The new EU customs authority based in Lille is to commence operations in 2027. The common customs data hub will be mandatory for online commerce from 1 July 2028. For all other traders, the obligation is scheduled to begin on 1 March 2034.
The data hub is intended to gradually replace today's national systems. Traders will need to submit their information only once. At the same time, customs authorities can better compare goods flows and more quickly identify shipments presenting risks.