Lille beats Málaga to host the new EU Customs Authority

Ane Barcos The French city of Lille was selected on Wednesday to host the future European Union Customs Authority, in a process in which Málaga competed along with eight other cities. The decision was adopted by the Council and the European Parliament during an interinstitutional meeting at the political level. This authority will be responsible for coordinating and supporting the activities of national customs services throughout the EU and will have a staff of around 250 employees. As the Council explained in a statement, the creation of the authority is part of the reform of the European Union's customs framework, designed to respond to increased trade, the fragmentation of national systems, the growth of e-commerce, and changes in the geopolitical context. The selection process began in October 2025, when the European Commission invited member states to submit their applications. Nine Member States submitted their applications before the deadline: Belgium (Liège), Croatia (Zagreb), France (Lille), Italy (Rome), the Netherlands (The Hague), Poland (Warsaw), Portugal (Porto), Romania (Bucharest), and Spain (Málaga). Following the evaluation of the applications and the agreement between the Council and Parliament in February 2026 on the decision procedure, Lille was chosen over Málaga and the other applicant cities. The next step will be to include the location of the authority in the general regulation of the customs reform, which will also define the date on which the agency will begin operations. Málaga's candidacy was submitted in December 2025 at the headquarters of the Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union (REPER) and was presented at the end of January by the First Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero, before the European Parliament.

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