The idea is to specifically target ‘low value’ parcels, i.e. those whose value is below EUR 150, the threshold below which parcels sent from a third country within the European Union escape customs duties. In fact, customs services are overwhelmed by the increasing influx of these small imported parcels.
In 2024, some 4.6 billion consignments with a value of less than EUR 150, or more than 145 per second, entered the European market. Of this total, 91% came from China. The EUR 2 fee will be used to finance customs controls, Commissioner Maros Sefcovic explained. “That is why I would not call these handling fees a tax, but simply a way to compensate for the costs,” he explained, praising the enormous workload of customs officials. Especially since these controls are expected to be strengthened in the face of the influx of low-value parcels sent from Asia via platforms such as Shein or Temu. And this influx is feared due to the increased customs duties wanted by the US, especially on small parcels from China.
This measure has been requested in particular by France, which at the end of April proposed to impose ‘handling fees’ on every small parcel entering Europe. In France alone, 800 million of these small parcels were delivered last year.
The move follows similar efforts by the US to crack down on cheap imports by ending its ‘de minimis’ regime, which exempts shipments worth less than $800 from tariffs and paperwork. President Donald Trump initially removed the ‘de minimis’ exemption in February, but this was rescinded after US authorities said they did not have the resources to check all parcels entering the country. He removed the exemption again on 2 May, making cheap items purchased online more expensive for US consumers.
Member states should add the tariff to an overhaul of customs rules that would strengthen controls and improve coordination across the single market. As part of this reform, the EU will also remove its ‘de minimis’ exemption from tariffs for parcels worth less than €150.
This will force sellers on online platforms to register for VAT, making them responsible for the quality of goods as importers for the first time. Commission officials hope the management fee will help unblock the reform, with some member states opposing the creation of an EU-wide customs authority.
The proposal was presented to the EU college of commissioners last week by its budget chief Piotr Serafin as one of several options for additional revenue for the EU budget. The Commission is under pressure to find direct funding streams, as opposed to money from member state governments, to repay the joint loan used to create its €800bn post-Covid economic recovery fund.
The levy package “won’t raise a huge amount of money, but every little bit helps,” according to a person briefed on the college discussion. “And it shows initiative by addressing an issue of concern to many.”
