Customs Compliance & Risk Management
Country update
The new U.S. Executive Order on strengthening customs enforcement: two questions that matter
The U.S. is entering a new era of customs enforcement. But while Executive Order strengthening customs enforcement sets an ambitious agenda, can CBP realistically deliver it after decades of declining trade expertise? This article explores what the Order means in practice and what importers should do now to reduce their...
India-UK CETA and its rules of origin: a new chapter in India’s preferential trade architecture
Editorial note: With the EU-India FTA near conclusion and the UK-India CETA entering into force on 15 July 2026, exporters to India face a market that is liberalising at the border while tightening on origin. Using the newly notified UK-India rules of origin as a working template for how India...
News update
EU customs and trade news: June 2026
Update for week 26: new Generalised Scheme of Tariff Preferences (GSP); new framework against steel overcapacity; EU-US trade - Council gives final approval for the tariff commitments under Joint Statement; updated EU's CITES trade rules after CoP20; new CBAM factsheet - actual vs default values in your declaration; anti-dumping duties...
UK customs and trade news: June 2026
News in brief: standard for customs intermediaries launched; new versions of the UK tariffs and other reference documents published; anti-dumping measure on hot-rolled steel plate rejected; anti-dumping duty on high fatigue performance steel concrete reinforcement bar (rebar) extended; the end date for imports of Russian diesel and jet fuel set;...
US customs tariffs and trade news: June 2026
New in brief: reform on strengthening customs enforcement adopted; further adjusting tariffs on steel, aluminium, and copper imports; proposed action in 60 Section 301 investigations relating to failures to take action on trade in forced labour goods; CBP’s forced labour enforcement operational guidance for importers issued; updates to administration and...
EU customs and trade news: July 2026
Update for week 28: CJEU ruling on the interaction of steel safeguard duties and anti-dumping duties; definitive anti-dumping duties on car and light-lorry tyres; anti-dumping investigation into Pekin duck; expiry review of anti-dumping measures on hot-rolled flat steel; Commission extended suspension of retaliatory duties on US goods in Airbus-Boeing dispute;...
Topic spotlight
E-commerce: flat-rate duty of €3 and introduction of a product identifier
Regulation (EU) 2026/382, effective from 1 July 2026, is the first component of the customs reform proposed by the Commission. It has not only abolished the customs duty relief for 'consignments of negligible value', i.e. up to an intrinsic value of €150 (thereby deleting Articles 23 and 24 of the...
Rules of origin under free trade agreements: compliance vs usability
According to the European Commission’s report, trade agreements have strengthened the EU’s global competitiveness, improved EU companies’ access to third-country markets, and supported exports in key sectors. However, their full potential is not yet realised, as EU FTAs remain underutilised in practice. Low preference utilisation is often associated with complex...
Why companies need to rethink how they manage tariff classification
This article examines why tariff classification errors persist in many companies, revealing that the root cause is often not a lack of customs knowledge, but rather weak processes, poor product data, and ambiguous responsibilities. Based on a case study of an international manufacturer, it identifies where the greatest risks lie...
Perspective
EU low-value consignments reform: what e-commerce actors need to know from 1 July 2026
From 1 July, a €3 duty applies per product type within low-value consignments - those valued up to €150. On 8 June of this year, the Commission accordingly amended the implementing regulation of the Union Customs Code. We present an overview of the changes and also speak with Gintarė Šapalaite,...