EU rolls out low‑value e‑commerce tax and digital transport document mandate

The European Union has introduced a €3 per‑item charge on low‑value e‑commerce shipments (value under €150) that came into force on 1 July. Industry groups warn the tax will raise prices on millions of small purchases, curb impulsive buying and force a harmonised modernisation of customs procedures across the bloc. UNO president Francisco Aranda said the measure “must be accompanied by a deep modernisation of customs systems”.

Separately, the Sustainable Mobility Law will require the Administrative Control Document (DeCA) to be issued digitally from October 2026. To help the logistics sector meet this requirement, Visual Trans has signed a strategic partnership with Docuten, integrating Docuten’s digital signing and e‑signature technology into Visual Trans’s platform. The solution enables biometric signing via a web link, offline operation in “shadow zones”, and automatic generation of DeCA and eCMR documents. Docuten’s Mónica Chouza called the change “one of the biggest structural and operational challenges of the last decade”.