common customs tariff


common customs tariff

the charge upon goods from outside the European Communities to enter the common market. Along with the elimination of customs duties, this is the other major plank of the customs union that itself was, and is, a crucial part of the Common Market of the European Union. Accordingly, member states cannot fix the duties levied on goods entering their territories. The revenue from the duties they do charge accrues to the Community. The effect was to make trade within the Union cheaper and imports from outside more expensive. When goods from an external country enter the Union they are then treated as European goods and can move freely.