Renew MEP Olivier Chastel has pressed the European Commission for an up-to-date estimate of the EU budget shortfall caused by customs fraud in e-commerce, citing reports from Member States and the European Court of Auditors that tens of billions of euros in VAT and duties have gone uncollected.
In a written parliamentary question submitted on 10 June 2026, Chastel asks the Commission to quantify the revenue loss from low-value and high-value business-to-consumer distance sales, as well as from business-to-business flows where goods are sold after arrival on EU soil. He also inquires about plans to modernise reporting methods for these flows, given the practical difficulties national customs administrations face in physically checking millions of parcels daily, and requests a timetable for such modernisation.
Furthermore, Chastel asks to what extent the Commission plans to integrate source-based data certification technologies to ensure that amounts collected by online sales platforms correspond to actual financial transactions and to guarantee the accuracy of customs declarations for all types of flows, including B2B e-commerce. The question signals the MEP's concern that current enforcement mechanisms are insufficient to tackle large-scale fraud, which impacts EU taxpayers and legitimate businesses. The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks, and its answer will indicate whether it intends to propose new digital verification tools or legislative changes to close the revenue gap.
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