The Digester
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Lille chosen to host EU Customs Authority

France's northern city of Lille won a nine-way contest to host the new EU Customs Authority, beating Rome 36 to 18 in a run-off; the agency will coordinate import oversight and a new central IT hub for e-commerce parcels.

Mar 25th 2026 · France

Insights

  • Lille beat Rome 36 to 18 in a run-off at the European Council to win the hosting bid.
  • Nine cities competed for the headquarters, with Rome finishing as runner up and Bucharest, Liège, Málaga, Porto, The Hague, Warsaw and Zagreb also bidding.
  • The new EU Customs Authority will house about 250 officials to coordinate import controls on goods including unsafe consumer products and illicit substances.
  • As part of a wider customs reform, the EU will also set up a central IT hub to manage a fast-growing influx of e-commerce parcels.
  • EU governments and lawmakers had separately backed the two finalists before a joint vote decided the winner.

Sources