Criminal or administrative? How countries decide on customs violations

Published 03 Dec 2025
Criminal or administrative? How countries decide on customs violations
Photo by Asih Wahyuni from Vecteezy
Topic spotlight
Compliance

This article brings together the insights of experts delivered during the 30th Author’s Meeting to examine how customs infringements are classified, sanctioned and enforced across different legal systems. The contributions highlight the complexity and fragmentation of the EU sanctioning landscape, the challenges faced by individual Member States undergoing reform, and the lessons that can be drawn from non-EU jurisdictions with clearer or more consolidated enforcement models.

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