EU fact of the week
date: 29/06/2018
50 years of the EU customs union
On Sunday 1 July 2018, the EU's customs union turns 50. By abolishing customs tariffs for trade in goods in the EU, the customs union marked the first decisive step towards the EU becoming the world's largest trading bloc, with the 28 customs administrations of the EU acting as one entity. Over the last 50 years, the customs union has developed into a cornerstone of the EU single market, keeping EU borders safe and protecting EU citizens from prohibited and dangerous goods such as weapons and drugs. It also facilitates an ever growing portion of global trade. EU customs handled 16% of the world's commerce last year.
Over 114,000 customs officers work around the clock to keep EU citizens safe and to keep global trade running smoothly. In 2016, EU customs seized almost 4.6 billion illegal cigarettes and 299 tonnes of drugs in the EU and stopped more than 41 million fake goods entering the EU. In 2015, EU customs handled almost 15% of world trade in goods, worth €3.5 trillion.