Lille to host the new EU Customs Authority 14:08 The Council and the European Parliament selected Lille as the host city for the future European Union customs authority (EUCA).[...]

Today, the Council and the European Parliament selected Lille as the host city for the future European Union customs authority (EUCA).

The authority will be tasked with coordinating and supporting the activities of national customs authorities consistently across the Union. It is expected to have around 250 staff members.

The establishment of the new authority forms part of the work to reform the EU's overall customs framework so that it can deal with the significant pressure arising from increased trade flows, fragmented national systems, the rapid rise of e-commerce and shifting geopolitical realities.

The co-legislators agreed on the location of EUCA's seat in an informal inter-institutional meeting at political level.

Next steps

The location of the seat will now be included in the overall customs reform regulation on which political discussions between the Council and the Parliament are in their final stages. The date on which the authority will start operations will also need to be agreed as part of those negotiations.

Selection process

In October 2025, the European Commission launched a call for applications for member states to express their interest in hosting EUCA.

Nine member states submitted applications by the deadline: Belgium (Liège), Croatia (Zagreb), France (Lille), Italy (Rome), Netherlands (The Hague), Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Porto), Romania (Bucharest), and Spain (Málaga).

Following the Commission's assessment of these applications, the co-legislators agreed in February 2026 on a common understanding establishing a decision-making process to select the member state that would host the EUCA, respecting the autonomy of each institution.

• EU Customs Authority: Council and Parliament agree procedure to select a host city (press release, 25 February 2026)
• Modernising the EU customs union (background information)
• Selection of the seat of the European Union Customs Authority (EUCA) (European Commission)
• Interinstitutional meeting on the seat of the EU Customs Authority (video and photo)