EU Commission Says Businesses Responsible for Customs Duty on Low-Value E-commerce Parcels

09:09 AM EDT, 07/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- The European Commission said businesses are responsible for the European Union's recently implemented 3-euro customs duty on low-value e-commerce packages coming into the bloc and not the consumers. "In accordance with new customs rules, consumers are not the debtor of the customs duty. Duties cannot be collected from them by customs authorities. Businesses are legally responsible for the duty: the platform, seller, carrier or their legal representative in the EU are the debtor, and are ultimately responsible towards customs," a commission spokesperson said in an emailed response to MT Newswires on Monday. In a Reuters report published the same day, Dutch lawmaker Dirk Gotink wrote in a July 7 letter to the EU's trade commissioner that online platforms, not consumers, should pay the duty. European consumer organization BEUC also urged the commission to ensure that consumers do not encounter unexpected checkout or delivery fees for online purchases. The spokesperson added that the commission is currently assessing the letter and monitoring the situation.