Romania and Italy are the first European countries that have already imposed a logistics tax on Temu and Shein parcels, hoping that they will reduce the invasion of non-EU parcels that Europe is facing.
Temu and Shein cheat the logistic fees imposed by Romania and Italy. Archive photo
In Romania, the tax on parcels coming from outside the EU applies from January 1 and is 25 lei, in Italy, starting from the same date, the tax is 2 euros.
Although the authorities in the two states expected to collect significant sums, given that in 2024, approximately 12.5 million parcels with a value of less than 150 euros were imported into the EU daily, they found that Shein and Temu found a loophole to escape paying the tax.
They open their warehouses in EU countries that do not tax them
At the level of the European Union, there are increasingly clear signs that Chinese platforms have begun to invest in opening warehouses where they can import their goods, which they will then distribute in the markets of the EU bloc.
Recently, the representatives of the courier company FAN Courier urged the authorities to convince these non-EU companies to open warehouses in our country, arguing that otherwise Romania will end up losing significant amounts to the budget at the expense of the neighboring countries that will host these warehouses. “They (non-EU companies) will come if the bureaucracy is reduced. If not it will take 2-3 years to get the permits. They will compare the situation from us with what they receive in Hungary, Greece or another country”, states Adrian Mihai, CEO of FAN Courier, during the annual conference organized by the company.
The company's representatives explain that, once these warehouses are opened in other European Union countries, such as Poland or Hungary, companies from outside the EU will import stocks in these warehouses using a standard customs procedure (H1), and from there they will send the ordered goods to Romania, no longer applying the simplified procedure (H7), a procedure that covers parcels under 150 euros and for which a fee of 25 lei is paid.
On the other hand, courier companies in Romania are waiting for clarifications from ANAF regarding the concrete mechanisms for applying this law regarding parcels under 150 euros, according to Wall-street.ro. In the meantime, the European Union has approved a regulation applicable to the entire EU bloc that targets parcels under 150 euros and which will be applicable from July 1, 2026. Industry players do not know what will happen to Romanian law once the European regulation comes into force, and the authorities have not provided clarification on this situation.
Italy: Parcels are redirected to other EU airports
Italian logistics companies and airport operators complain that the tax has already led to a sharp drop in the number of small parcels handled by their logistics networks, writes the Financial Times.
They claim that cargo flights from outside the EU are landing at other airports in the bloc to avoid the tax and are urging Meloni's government to suspend or repeal the tax.
“The measure had a boomerang effect”said Valentina Menin, general manager of the Assaaeroporti industrial group, which represents companies that manage 32 Italian airports, including Milan's Malpensa, one of the country's largest cargo hubs. “The entire Italian logistics sector is losing business”, she said.
When it decided to impose the tax as part of the 2026 budget, Rome estimated it could raise 122 million euros this year and 245 million euros the following year.
But according to the Italian customs agency, the number of low-value parcels arriving directly in Italy from outside the EU between January 1 and 20 was 36% lower than in the same period last year.
Menin said at least 30 flights to Malpensa, the destination for 60 percent of all goods sent to Italy by air, have been diverted to Liège in Belgium, Amsterdam and Budapest since the start of the year as companies reorganize to avoid the tax.
Under existing EU rules, once goods enter the single market and clear customs on arrival, they can move freely without additional checks or taxes, allowing companies to easily avoid Italy's handling charge.
Italy's logistics industry would “lose out” if the tax was not suspended, said Andrea Cappa, chief executive of Confetra, which represents 60,000 Italian logistics and shipping companies.
“Goods continue to enter Italy by truck without paying the required tax, leading to increased pollution and traffic being diverted to other countrieshe said.The situation can only get worse if no solution is found.”
The collection of this tax in Italy will not officially start until March, as the customs department and logistics companies are still updating their computer systems to take into account a tax approved just days before the new year.
But companies will still be required to pay the fee for all small parcels arriving from January 1, logistics firms said.
A lawmaker from Forza Italia, part of the tripartite governing coalition led by Meloni, proposed to lawmakers to delay the tax until July 1, when the EU is also due to start collecting a €3 customs tax on all low-value parcels arriving within the bloc.
