Mapping customs penalties accross EU

Customs penalties are far from harmonised across the 27 Member States. Countries apply sanctions very differently - some rely primarily on administrative penalties, others on criminal ones, and many use a combination of both. This fragmentation creates uncertainty for companies, particularly when common errors - such as misclassification, incorrect origin, or missing documents - can result in administrative fines in one country but criminal consequences in another. The study’s findings assist businesses in mapping their compliance risks across Europe.