The European Union has implemented significant changes to its customs procedures, particularly impacting e-commerce shipments. A key alteration is the removal of the €150 duty-free threshold for low-value consignments entering the EU. Additionally, a temporary €3 customs charge has been introduced for each commodity code within a shipment. These measures are designed to increase revenue and ensure fair competition, but they also introduce new layers of cost and administrative complexity for businesses.
In response to these new regulations, freight forwarders like U-Freight are observing a trend among e-commerce companies: a shift towards regional fulfilment models within Europe. Instead of shipping directly from outside the EU to individual consumers, businesses are now establishing warehouses or distribution centres within the EU. This allows them to import goods in bulk, clear customs once, and then distribute parcels locally, bypassing the per-commodity-code charge and simplifying last-mile delivery.
For freight forwarders and operations managers, this development means a potential decrease in direct-to-consumer (D2C) air cargo volumes from outside the EU into the bloc, especially for smaller parcels. Conversely, there may be an increase in demand for warehousing, intra-EU logistics, and customs brokerage services for bulk imports. Forwarders should be prepared to offer integrated logistics solutions that include regional distribution and customs expertise to support clients adapting to these changes. Shippers will need to re-evaluate their supply chain strategies, potentially investing in EU-based inventory and distribution networks to maintain cost-effectiveness and delivery speed.
