Customs duties are a source of income for the EU budget and the budgets of EU countries. As traditional “own resources”, they constitute around 15% of the EU budget.
In 2024, from the EUR 26.8 billion collected by customs authorities at import, EUR 20.1 billion were transferred to the EU budget - the remaining 25% being kept by the Member State of entry.
DG Taxation and Customs Union, DG Budget
Customs authorities ensure the correct and efficient collection of duties and other taxes at the EU borders; they detect, investigate and prosecute fraud. Customs tariffs and other trade measures are decided at EU level.