Why new €3 customs charge tells a bigger story about global trade
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Updated / Thursday, 9 Jul 2026<br>07:07
Getty
The €3 customs charge happened because a series of global events exposed how dependent many countries had become on long, complex international supply chains. Photo: Getty Images
Geraldine Gough
By Geraldine Gough
DCU
More from<br>DCU
Analysis: The new charge might be viewed as an irritation for online shoppers, but reflects a significant shift in the rules around global commerce
You find a bargain online for a piece of clothing, a childs toy or some homewares. It only costs a few euro, so clicking "buy now" is an easy decision. A few weeks later, the parcel arrives in Ireland and there's an unexpected €3 customs handling charge (not to mention a €6.95 handling charge from a delivery company like An Post).
For many shoppers, that's just another unwelcome cost. In reality, it is one small sign of a quiet shift across the global economy as governments are becoming more involved in deciding how goods move around the world, where products are made and who countries choose to trade with.
This broader trend can be described as the politicisation of supply chains. Simply put, supply chains are no longer designed solely around cost, efficiency and speed. Increasingly, they are also shaped by government policy, regulation, national security concerns and international politics. Cost still matters, but decisions once driven almost entirely by economics are increasingly influenced by politics.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime, new EU charges on goods valued below €150 comes into effect
From 'where is it cheapest?' to 'where is it safest?'
Over the last 30 years, globalisation transformed the way businesses operated. Companies searched the world for the most efficient places to manufacture products, source materials and build supplier networks. If a product could be made better, faster or cheaper elsewhere, that was usually where production moved. The guiding question was straightforward: where can we make this most efficiently? Politics certainly mattered, but it generally stayed in the background.
Today, companies are asking a different set of questions. What happens if relations between two countries deteriorate? What if tariffs are introduced, or new environmental, social or other regulations increase costs? What if a supplier suddenly becomes subject to export controls or import sanctions, or an essential medicine can no longer be sourced? The question is no longer simply "where is it cheapest?" It has become "where is it safest?"
Why governments are becoming more involved
This change didn't happen because businesses suddenly changed their minds. A series of global events exposed how dependent many countries had become on long, complex international supply chains. The Covid-19 pandemic revealed shortages of everything from personal protective equipment to semiconductors.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with David McCullagh, how secure is our food supply chain?
Brexit introduced new customs processes between previously open trading partners. Growing tensions between the United States and China have affected everything from advanced technology to medical products, while Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted energy, food and raw material markets. More recently, governments have added environmental regulations, security reviews and trade measures designed to reduce dependence on strategically important imports.
Each individual policy may seem relatively small, but together they are changing the rules of global trade and Ireland's new customs handling...