EU finance ministers have agreed to introduce a €3 duty on all small parcels entering the bloc from 1 July next year, in a bid to curb a surge in low-cost imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu.
The decision follows an agreement reached last month to abolish the duty-free exemption for packages valued under €150 and shipped directly to consumers across the EU’s 27 member states, often via Chinese-founded e-commerce platforms.
An EU spokesperson said the flat fee will be applied on a temporary basis while the bloc works toward a permanent framework for taxing these imports.
In 2023, 4.6 billion small parcels entered the EU — more than 8700 every minute — with 91% originating from China, a figure the bloc expects to increase further.
European retailers have complained that overseas platforms including AliExpress, Shein and Temu enjoy an unfair advantage, arguing that many of their products fail to meet the EU’s strict regulatory standards.