On 13 July 2026, HMRC published a policy paper (Reforming the customs treatment of low value imports into the UK), setting out a new measure to reform how low value imports (“LVIs”) are treated for customs purposes. The measure will remove the current relief available to goods valued under £135 (the “LVI Relief”) and enable HMRC and HM Treasury (“HMT”) to introduce new customs arrangements for these goods. UK retailers have long called for action…
On 11 June 2026, Singapore Customs issued a media release announcing that three Singapore-registered companies and three individuals had been charged with offences relating to false declarations, false statements and incorrect trade descriptions under the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act 1995 and the Regulation of Imports and Exports Regulations. The charges relate to an alleged scheme involving the false declaration of the origin of mattresses exported from Singapore to the United States, purportedly to…
The European Commission recently adopted Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1422 (link), amending the UCC Implementing Act (Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/2447, “UCC-IA”) as regards the procedural rules concerning the proof of non-preferential origin. The regulation was published in the Official Journal on 30 June 2026 and, having entered into force on the day following that of its publication, took effect on 1 July 2026. The amendment implements part of the EU’s tariff commitments under the…
Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1022 (link), implementing the temporary EUR 3 customs duty on consignments not exceeding EUR 150, was published in the Official Journal yesterday and applies from today, 1 July 2026. Together with the amended UCC Implementing Act and Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382 (link) — which was adopted earlier and likewise applies from 1 July 2026 — it operationalizes the abolition of the long-standing customs duty exemption for low-value imports. See also our…
On June 19, 2026, the Department of Finance announced a 10% provisional safeguard measure on global imports of canned vegetables (Provisional Safeguard). The Order-in-Council can be found here, along with the relevant Customs Notice here. This measure was introduced three months after the Government of Canada directed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) to conduct a safeguard inquiry into frozen and canned vegetables (Vegetable Safeguard Inquiry), in the same week as the inquiry’s public hearings,…
On 1 July 2026, the EU will begin levying a flat customs duty of EUR 3 on goods contained in consignments valued at EUR 150 or less entering the EU. The measures outlined in this blog are set out in Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382, as well as in the updated UCC-IA and UCC-DA. They remove the long-standing customs duty exemption for low-value imports and marks the first concrete step in the EU’s broader customs reform…
On June 16, 2026, the European Parliament (EP) approved two legislative texts implementing the EU’s tariff commitments under the EU-US trade agreement. Formal approval by the Council of the EU remains pending. The adopted measures provide for the elimination of tariffs on all US industrial goods and grant preferential market access for a wide array of US seafood and agricultural goods. The extension of tariff-free lobster imports, now including processed lobster, was also endorsed by…
On June 12, 2026, the Canadian government introduced Bill C-35, the Ban on Importing Goods Made with Forced Labour Act. Bill C-35 establishes a new statutory framework to prohibit forced labour imports, replacing the Customs Tariff’s current prohibition on importing goods produced wholly or in part by forced or child labour. Bill C-35 is available here. Bill C-35 empowers the Minister of Foreign Affairs to list goods (by country, region, manufacturer) that it suspects are…
On June 10, 2026, the European Union and four Eastern and Southern Africa States: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles, concluded negotiations to deepen the existing EU-Eastern and Southern Africa Economic Partnership Agreement into a modern and comprehensive free trade agreement. The agreement is the first of its kind between the EU and partners in Sub-Saharan Africa. The framework remains open to accession by other Eastern and Southern Africa States, with negotiations with Zimbabwe currently ongoing.…
On April 20, 2026, the Government of Canada directed the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (Tribunal) to conduct a safeguard inquiry into imports of certain finished wood products, including wood cabinets, hardwood flooring, and wood storage furniture. The statutory Order in Council setting out the details of the inquiry is available here. This safeguard inquiry was announced on the heels of a March 2026 safeguard inquiry into canned and frozen vegetables (we write about it here),…