E-commerce surge overwhelms Liège Airport as 30% of inspected parcels violate rules

Liège Airport, one of Europe’s primary gateways for online shopping imports, is struggling to cope with a relentless surge in e-commerce shipments. Belgian customs officials report that around 30% of inspected parcels are in violation of regulations, with sharp increases in counterfeiting, product safety breaches and tax fraud.

Customs at Liège Airport opened its doors to the press on Tuesday, 3 March. This visit, organised by the Federal Public Service Finance, provided an opportunity to demonstrate the work of customs officers and to reveal some figures on customs activities at Liège Airport, which are directly impacted by the growth of online commerce.

A key European entry point

Approximately 20% of all online purchases entering the European Union from non-EU countries transit through Liège, making it one of the continent’s most critical logistics hubs.

In 2025 alone, customs processed 1.3 billion e-commerce declarations, equivalent to an average of 3.6 million per day. By January 2026, that daily figure had climbed to 4.7 million declarations. On average, 41 declarations per second are filed.

While the overall number of parcels has slightly declined compared to 2023, each shipment now contains more items, complicating inspections and increasing administrative workload.

Minimal checks, high violation rate

Despite the enormous volume, customs can physically inspect only 0.006% of declarations, or roughly 216 cases per day—about one parcel in 20,000.

Yet the findings are alarming:

• 30% of inspected B2C shipments contain violations
• 25,840 counterfeit detections in 2025, up 64% year-on-year
• 1,963 product safety violations
• 1,919 undervaluation cases
• €3.3 million recovered in duties, taxes and fines

In some specific product categories, officials say violation rates reach 100%. Seizures of drugs have also increased.

Customs authorities warn that beyond individual consumer risks, the scale of irregularities harms public finances and places European retailers at a competitive disadvantage.

Policy response: VAT and customs reform

To address the pressure, Belgium and the European Union are rolling out new measures:

• Abolition of the €150 VAT exemption threshold from 1 July
• Introduction of a €3 standard import duty per item for low-value shipments
• Additional investment in IT systems and customs staffing
• Reinforced anti-fraud teams

At the European level, broader reforms are underway, including the creation of a European Customs Authority and an EU Customs Data Hub. Further proposals under negotiation include a €2 European handling fee, making online platforms liable as “deemed importers,” and the establishment of specialised e-commerce customs warehouses.

A structural challenge

Customs officials describe the situation as a “tsunami” of parcels, stressing that the current inspection capacity is insufficient to fully control the flow. As e-commerce continues to expand across Europe, Liège Airport stands at the frontline of a growing regulatory and logistical challenge, where a tiny inspection rate is revealing disproportionately large compliance failures.

Liège candidate for headquarters of the European Customs Authority

Belgium has officially proposed Liège as the headquarters of the new European Customs Authority (EUCA), highlighting its logistical expertise (Europe’s 6th largest cargo airport) and academic strengths (customs law, University of Liège). The city is competing with several other European cities such as Lille, Rome, Warsaw, The Hague, Malaga, Zagreb, and Porto. A decision is expected in early 2026, with the headquarters potentially accommodating 250 civil servants around 2028.