Orders from countries outside the EU could become more expensive in the future. The EU Commission is planning that numerous goods under 150 euros could become subject to customs duties in the future. This emerges from a draft by the Commission, which is available to the German Press Agency in Brussels. So far, no duty has to be paid if the value of the goods is less than 150 euros – according to the Commission, there are only a few exceptions, for example for tobacco or perfume.
According to the draft, the Brussels authorities are now planning a comprehensive reform of the current customs system. The core should be the establishment of an EU-wide customs authority by 2028. This is to gradually replace the 27 independent systems of the member states with a centralized one. One of the aims is to reduce the administrative burden. The “Süddeutsche Zeitung” (Monday) had previously reported on the proposal.
According to the draft, the elimination of the duty exemption for goods under 150 euros could give the EU around 750 million euros more per year. Vice-Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis is expected to present the authority’s plans on Wednesday. Changes are still possible, the EU Parliament and EU states must also agree to the project in the end.
The European Greens MP Anna Cavazzini is critical of the fact that checks for security or toxic chemicals are practically impossible for packages worth less than 150 euros. “This endangers consumers and fair competition between European and non-European companies.” Products that do not meet EU standards would come individually packaged from third countries directly to the front doors of European consumers, said the Chair of the Internal Market Committee of the EU Parliament.
The project is basically on the right track, even if there is still room for improvement, said MP Daniel Caspary, chairman of the CDU/CSU group in the European Parliament. He is critical of the abolition of the customs exemption for goods under 150 euros: “We don’t need any new bureaucratic hurdles that create unnecessary extra work. The previous practice should continue to apply here.” (dpa)