The European Union Customs Union (EUCU) is a customs union which consists of all the member states of the European Union (EU) and a number of surrounding countries.
The customs union is a principal task of the European Economic Community, established in 1958, and now succeeded by the European Union. No customs are levied on goods travelling within the customs union and—unlike a free trade area—members of the customs union impose a common external tariff on all goods entering the union. One of the consequences of the customs union is that the European Union has to negotiate as a single entity in international trade deals such as the World Trade Organisation.
Read more about European Union Customs Union: Non-EU Members, Territories
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