The European Union wants to introduce from November 1 a new processing fee for small parcels imported from outside the EU bloc. This is what the negotiators from the European Parliament and the EU member states decided on Thursday, reports DPA.
The EU introduces new taxes for Temu, Shein and AliExpress parcels
The decision is intended to address the increase in low value parcel deliveries from online commerce and to cover the administrative costs associated with processing and inspecting small deliveries.
According to the agreement, the commission is applied from November 1 to every product ordered online and imported into the EU, collected by the national authorities. The European Commission is to determine the exact amount.
The agreement must be approved by the European Parliament and the EU member states before it becomes law.
The commission will complete the planned customs duties. Currently, parcels with a value of less than 150 euros ($173) coming into the 27 EU member states are exempt from customs duties.
Starting in July, customs duties of three euros will be temporarily imposed on parcels that exceed this threshold, until a digital platform is launched, probably in 2028, which will impose customs duties regardless of the value of the parcel.
The new tax will likely affect online retailers that ship from China, such as Shein, Temu or AliExpress, given that 91% of all online orders under €150 came from China in 2024.
Abandoning the threshold of 150 euros will create fair competition conditions for all sellers, regardless of location, the European Union stated.
In 2024, approximately 4.6 billion low-value shipments, i.e. goods with a value not exceeding 150 euros, entered the EU market, the equivalent of 12 million parcels per day. This figure is twice as high as in 2023 and three times as high as in 2022, and many of these goods were found to be non-compliant with European legislation. This exponential growth raises many question marks as more and more harmful products enter the EU.
In Germany alone, approximately 400,000 parcels are delivered daily from Shein and Temu, over 14 million people shopped online last year, according to data from the German Retail Federation (HDE).
The new regulations would combat fraud and avoid those imports that are deliberately declared with an underestimated value in customs declarations, in order to avoid paying taxes.
Non-compliant customs declarations have a negative effect on EU companies, which compete with low-cost imports, the European Commission stated. In addition, exempting small parcels from paying customs duties causes importers to split larger orders into smaller parcels when sent to the EU, resulting in packaging waste.
Analysts point out that European sellers, who adhere to high product standards, are at risk of being affected by unfair practices and the sale of counterfeit goods through online marketplaces. Finally, the large number of parcels shipped and transported has a negative ecological and climatic footprint.
China, the main exporter: 91% of small orders come from there
The new taxes will especially affect Chinese online platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress, as 91% of all low-value orders originated in China in 2024. Many of the parcels are, according to the authorities, deliberately undervalued to avoid paying the taxes.
In addition, the current exemption encourages importers to break up large orders into small packages to avoid customs duties, a practice that generates massive packaging waste.
The move is a response to growing pressure from European retailers
Initially, the EU planned to remove the tax exemption for parcels under 150 euros only in 2028. However, the explosion of cheap imports from Asia has led European companies to call for faster interventions, accusing unfair practices and increasing sales of counterfeit products.
Analysts warn that European retailers, forced to comply with strict quality and safety standards, are at a disadvantage in the competition with platforms that sell low-cost, sometimes non-compliant products.
The 3 euro fee is only the first step. From 2028, all goods imported into the European Union – without any value exception – will be subject to customs duties.
The aim, according to the European Commission, is to protect consumers, reduce fraud, support European traders, reduce the impact on the environment, and it creates fair market conditions.
