Press Release: Commission to take United Kingdom to court over unpaid amounts of customs duties to EU budget

The European Commission has taken the UK to the EU Court of Justice over its refusal to compensate for duties its customs authorities failed to collect in the past - £15 million should have been paid to the EU budget.

The European Commission is taking this legal action in order to protect the common EU interest. Fair treatment of all Member States must be ensured. If one Member State fails to deliver on its obligation to collect the common resources of the EU budget, the other Member States are forced to pay more as a result.