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TAX MAG: VAT news in Europe

Keep up with the latest Intra-Community and European VAT news, decoded by our experts.

Focus: European Union
Not established in France but VAT-registered? Learn which transactions are in scope for French e-reporting, the applicable timelines, and how to prepare ahead.

EU : the European Union strengthens data access to combat cross-border VAT fraud

The Council of the European Union announced on 5 May 2026 an agreement to strengthen cooperation between Member States, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office and the European Anti-Fraud Office in tackling cross-border VAT fraud. The aim is to give investigation authorities better access to the data they need to detect and prosecute fraud schemes, including...
Country Briefs
24 July 2026

EU : Review of the VAT reverse charge mechanism

European Parliament study, 22 June 2026 The European Parliament has published a study examining the effects of the reverse charge mechanism under articles 199a and 199b of VAT Directive 2006/112/CE. These provisions allow Member States to depart from the normal rule that the supplier collects VAT. In situations presenting a particular fraud risk, they can...
24 July 2026

EU : once a tax audit is final, no amendment is possible

EU : General Court of the European Union, 3 June 2026, T-198/25, G Kft The General Court of the European Union ruled on whether a national rule is compatible with the VAT Directive when it prevents a taxable person from correcting their VAT position once a tax audit becomes final. A company discovered after a...
Country Briefs
24 July 2026

European Union: the Commission sets out how the new €3 flat-rate Customs duty on small parcels will work

As part of the EU Customs Union reform, the European Commission published clarifications in May 2026 on the practical workings of the forthcoming €3 flat-rate Customs duty on low-value e-commerce imports. The measure applies to parcels with a value not exceeding €150. The Commission confirms that the €3 flat-rate duty will apply to each HS...
11 June 2026
Check the INTRASTAT / EMEBI (DEB) thresholds in the various European Union (EU) countries in 2026.

Yachting: the European Commission clarifies the customs and VAT status of pleasure craft

On 30 April 2026, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs Union, DG TAXUD, published a guidance note aimed at harmonising the interpretation of the rules governing the Customs and VAT status of pleasure vessels within the EU. The note does not change the existing legal framework but addresses questions that have long been...
Country Briefs
11 June 2026

EU: New VAT rates from 2026 – What business need to know

At the beginning of 2026, several EU Member States introduced changes to their VAT rates. Here is an overview of the main changes: • Belgium : from 1 March 2026, the reduced VAT rate on hotel accommodation, takeaway food, leisure activities and entertainment services will increase from 6% to 12%; • Czech Republic : since...
6 January 2026

VAT Gap: €128 Billion of uncollected VAT in the European Union

The latest VAT Gap report, published by the European Commission on 11 December 2025, reveals that EU Member States failed to collect EUR 128 billion in VAT revenue in 2023. This represents around 9.5% of the VAT theoretically due, highlighting ongoing challenges in VAT collection and the continued need to strengthen tax compliance across the...
Country Briefs
6 January 2026
Check the VAT rates applicable in 2025 to your products and services in Europe, in the 27 countries of the European Union (EU), Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Electronic services supplied through platforms : who is liable for VAT?

CJEU, Case C-101/24, 9 October 2025 With the growth of digital platforms, the question of who is actually supplying electronic services, and therefore who is liable for VAT, is increasingly important. The CJEU’s judgment in Xyrality GmbH (9 October 2025) provides useful clarification. In this case, a German company distributed mobile gaming apps via an...
Country Briefs
9 December 2025

E-commerce: Removal of the €150 threshold marks

 A major shift in EU Customs rules In a press release dated 13 November 2025, the Council of the European Union confirmed that the € 150 customs duty exemption for low value parcels will be removed. The exemption, introduced under Regulation (EC) No 1186/2009, has long been a cornerstone of cross border e commerce. The...
Country Briefs
9 December 2025

CBAM : New 50 tons threshold and system’s simplification

CBAM : New 50 tons threshold and system’s simplification Regulation (EU) 2025/2083, published in the Official Journal of the EU on 17 October 2025, amends the 2023 CBAM regulation to simplify importers’ obligations and adapt the mechanism to its final phase, which starts on 1 January 2026. The changes introduce a new de minimis threshold...
9 December 2025