In September 2026, global trade policies underwent a dense wave of adjustments. From the EU's largest overhaul of its customs system in decades to a series of new rules simultaneously rolled out by the United States, Canada, France, Vietnam and others, major economies concentratedly tightened the scope of trade regulation within just a few weeks. A common feature of this round of policy changes is clear: the regulatory reach is extending from the "goods level" to the "full chain, document level, and entity level." The rise in compliance thresholds is no longer an isolated act by any single country, but a systemic trend on a global scale.
I. EU Customs Reform: Platform Liability Pushed to the Forefront
On September 3, the Council of the EU formally approved a comprehensive revision of the Union Customs Code. This is the largest adjustment to the EU customs system in decades, with the core change pointing to a key question: who should be responsible for the massive volume of cross-border parcels flooding into Europe?
The answer is explicitly directed at platforms. Under the new rules, e-commerce platforms established outside the EU will be directly identified as "importers" when selling goods to EU consumers, bearing full responsibility for customs formalities, tariff payment, and product compliance. This means the previous operating model of "platforms sell, sellers hide" will be fundamentally changed. For platforms that fail to fulfill their obligations, fines can reach up to 6% of their EU import value in the previous year; in serious cases, they may also be restricted from entering the EU market.
Two key arrangements accompany this reform: first, an EU-wide small-parcel handling fee will be introduced no later than November 1, 2026, with the specific fee standard to be determined by the European Commission; second, the newly established EU Customs Data Hub will become mandatory for e-commerce companies from July 1, 2028, and will cover all traders from 2034. The establishment of the data hub means that declaration information will be compared and verified on a unified platform, and the space for practices such as "origin laundering," undervaluation, and double invoicing will be significantly compressed.
A set of figures explains why the EU has made this determination: in 2025, EU customs handled approximately 6 billion e-commerce parcels, over 90% of which came from China. Faced with such a massive import volume, inspecting parcel by parcel is neither realistic nor economical. Concentrating responsibility on platforms is the path with the lowest regulatory cost and highest efficiency.
II. Not Just the EU: Policy Resonance Among Major Global Economies in September
The EU's reform is not an isolated event. In September 2026, several major economies simultaneously introduced new trade rules with broad impact, forming a rare round of policy resonance.
United States: Tariffs and Compliance Verification Tightened on Two Fronts. From September 3, the US imposed tiered tariffs on drones and components under Section 232, with sensitive drones over 2.5 kg subject to a 100% rate and smaller drones at 25%. From September 18, enhanced verification rules for importer information took effect, requiring IOR numbers to match a real entity's business address and valid contact information; falsified information will directly result in IOR number invalidation and cargo detention. On September 29, Section 232 tariffs on patented drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients fully took effect, with 100% tariffs covering all non-designated exempt companies.
Canada: Counter-Tariffs Against the US Take Effect. On September 8, Canada imposed counter-tariffs of 15% to 50% on approximately $20 billion of US goods, covering more than 700 categories, with tariffs on several US steel and aluminum products raised from 25% to 50%. The US-Canada trade friction thus entered a new "tit-for-tat" phase.
France: Per-Item Eco-Penalties. From September 1, France's Anti-Ultra-Fast Fashion Law officially took effect, imposing eco-penalties of €0.25 to €12 per item on relevant apparel products. This policy embeds environmental costs directly into product pricing, creating direct pressure on the fast-fashion export model characterized by low prices and high volume.
Vietnam: New Foreign Trade Management Rules Take Effect. From September 5, Vietnam implemented new foreign trade management regulations, systematically adjusting document requirements and compliance procedures for import and export activities. Supply chain-related enterprises need to re-check their compliance arrangements.
III. Steel and Raw Materials: Anti-Dumping Measures Stepped Up in Parallel
Beyond tariffs and customs reform, traditional trade remedy measures are also being stepped up in parallel, particularly concentrated in the steel and raw materials sectors.
On September 1, the European Commission issued a notice initiating a third anti-dumping sunset review investigation into pre-stressed non-alloy steel wire and strand originating in China. The relevant anti-dumping measures were first imposed in 2009, with rates as high as 46.2%, and were most recently extended in 2021. The applicant noted that Chinese products have substantial idle capacity, and the EU market is highly attractive in terms of both scale and price; if the measures expire, dumping is highly likely to resurge. At the same time, the EU also launched an interim review of industrial silicon, with the possibility of a rate increase.
The signal sent by this series of actions is that global fortification of the steel chain is shifting from phased measures to normalized institutional arrangements.
IV. Front-Loading Compliance: From "Optional Action" to "Entry Threshold"
Overall, the round of policy adjustments in September 2026 presents a clear main line: global trade regulation is shifting from "post-hoc spot checks" to "pre-entry access," and compliance capability is changing from a plus for companies to a ticket to entry.
For cross-border e-commerce sellers in the EU market, once platforms are identified as importers, they will inevitably pass compliance pressure on to sellers. Information such as EORI, MRN, HS Code, commodity value, origin, import records, and product compliance documents will face more systematic and frequent verification. Amazon Europe's recent strengthening of requirements for EORI, MRN and other information on imported shipments is a direct reflection of this change in regulatory logic.
For companies in physical foreign trade, the impact is equally unavoidable. Whether it is US IOR verification, Canadian counter-tariffs, or Vietnam's new foreign trade management rules, exporters are required to clarify compliance conditions before quoting prices and scheduling production.
V. Finding Direction Amid Change: Data-Driven Market Re-Selection and Front-Loading Compliance
Tighter policies do not mean opportunities disappear; they mean market selection needs to be more precise and more evidence-based.
Use data to re-screen destination countries. The EU is tightening, but global markets are not tightening in unison. The Middle East, ASEAN, Latin America and other regions continue to expand. The Big Trade Data customs data platform covers real import and export records from more than 200 countries and regions, and can pull growth rankings by category and destination country, helping companies identify which markets are expanding and which categories still have growth space. Rather than engaging in involution in a red ocean where compliance costs keep rising, it is better to direct resources to segmented markets that are still growing.
Put front-loading compliance in place. CE, EORI, VAT, certificates of origin—these are not things to remember only after goods are stuck at the port. Preparing compliance documents in advance saves not only customs clearance time and demurrage costs, but also account security and buyer trust. As regulation shifts from "punishment after the fact" to "review before the fact," the cost of front-loading compliance is far lower than the price of remediation afterward.
Focus on exempted or low-tariff tracks. France's anti-fast-fashion law grants exemptions to some brands that meet sustainability standards, showing that "compliance narrative" itself can be converted into pricing power. Products with green certification and sustainability labels have instead gained bargaining space in this round of regulatory upgrading.
Find mismatched opportunities amid rule changes. The EU's import restrictions on Brazilian beef caused Brazil's beef exports to plunge 27.1% in August, and global beef trade flows are being reshaped. Companies in food imports can look at alternative sources such as Uruguay and New Zealand; companies in other categories can likewise find opportunities brought by supply chain reconfiguration amid rule changes.
In foreign trade, policy is always the wind vane. This dense round of adjustments in September 2026 marks that global trade is entering a new stage with finer regulation, stricter documents, and clearer entity responsibilities. For exporters, rather than passively waiting for policies to land and then adjusting, it is better to proactively use data tools such as Big Trade Data to see the direction, use compliance capabilities to hold the bottom line, and find their own path amid the changes.