Dutch Customs overwhelmed as U.S.-EU trade war escalates
Dutch Customs are bracing for additional strain as a looming trade war between the European Union and the United States threatens to further overwhelm an already overstretched system, BNR reports. New import tariffs will add to a growing workload, exacerbating existing capacity issues, officials warn.
The customs service is reportedly already struggling to process the rising volume of goods entering the Netherlands. The introduction of tariffs on U.S. products, set to take effect in April, will only increase the burden, a customs spokesperson told BNR. “Every additional measure puts further pressure on our limited inspection capacity.”
The EU’s new tariffs target American goods such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles, whiskey, and denim, in retaliation for U.S. levies on European steel and aluminum.
Albert Veenstra, a professor of international trade and logistics, notes that implementing the tariffs requires adjustments to customs systems, which may seem straightforward but can be complex in practice. Determining which products fall under the new tax regime is not always clear-cut.
Additionally, the tariffs create incentives for fraud. “The higher the tax, the greater the temptation to evade it,” Veenstra said, warning that enforcement agencies could face increased challenges.
Dutch Customs has already been struggling with surging imports. Since 2018, the number of declarations has increased fivefold, largely due to a flood of low-cost parcels from China. The service faces persistent staffing shortages and is reportedly barely keeping up with demand.
In recent years, the customs agency has also been assigned additional responsibilities, including environmental and climate-related product inspections. Veenstra suggests that reducing these non-core duties could help ease the workload.
