The European Parliament has adopted new e-commerce and customs rules, meaning that the handling fee we have been expecting will be collected from 1 November, on top of the EUR 3 customs duty that has already been applied from 1 July. The reform will be officially signed into a law today and published in the EU’s Official Journal as soon as possible. 

The exact amount of the handling fee will be determined by the European Commission and will be revised every two years to keep it proportional to the actual costs. When this amount has been specified, we will confirm. 

The handling fee is a permanent addition to the customs rules for e-commerce, unlike the EUR 3 customs duty, which is a temporary levy that has been introduced while the EU works on long-term, permanent customs reform. 

The new rules establish a handling fee for each item brought from non-EU web shops and sent directly to EU consumers. It has been introduced to help cover the cost of processing the increased number of small parcels at borders. The handling fee will be paid by the same entity responsible for paying other customs charges for the same parcel. 

In October, the EU Commission will review any unintended impacts of the temporary levy on trade flows. The PPA has worked hard to communicate the impact these costs have had, and will have, on our industry in advance of the review. We have written letters to the EU Commission and the UK Government, using evidence helpfully provided by members, to advocate for publishers to be protected under the Florence Agreement. 

However, it is important to note that the existence of the review does not guarantee action against any identified impacts. We are still being briefed that change in this area is unlikely and continue to advise members to make any business decisions based on the likelihood that these fees remain. Even under the Florence Agreement, the handling fee would remain. 

Other rules covered in this latest announcement include: 

• Sellers and platforms that facilitate the distance sales of goods from non-EU countries directly to EU customers will be treated as importers. This will require them to provide customs authorities with all the necessary data, pay or guarantee any charges and make sure the goods shipped to Europe comply with EU laws. 

• To ensure accountability, these companies must be established in the EU or be represented by an EU-based entity having either authorised economic operator (AEO) or trusted trader status. 

• Non-EU country sellers and platforms are encouraged to operate warehouses in the EU, where bulk shipments are easier to check. Their intra-EU client shipments will then benefit from a lower handling fee, provided their goods are imported in collective packaging and large enough quantities to make customs checks more efficient. 

• Import-export companies that follow the rules and agree to cooperate transparently with customs authorities may benefit from a simplified “trust and check” regime. 

• The new pan-European customs IT system called EU Data Hub will be available for optional use by 2031 and become mandatory by 2034. 

Companies that repeatedly ignore EU rules may be punished with a fine of at least 1% (and up to 6%) of the total value of goods imported into the EU in the previous 12 months. Customs authorities may suspend, revoke, or annul their trusted trader or AEO status and flag them as high-risk operators. 

If you have any questions, please contact charlotte.jeffreys@ppa.co.uk (Policy & Public Affairs Officer, PPA).