The EU will move to impose new import fees on an “invasion” of ultra-cheap Chinese parcels entering its market daily.
The European Commission proposed a €2 handling fee on every parcel shipped directly to consumers from abroad, or a reduced €0.50 fee for ones that are routed through warehouses inside the EU.
The proposal came at a May 22 meeting of EU competitiveness ministers. The “invasion”, said the Commission, risks undermining product safety and fair competition.
The fee would help cover costs in enforcing EU safety and compliance rules—especially for toys and electronics—and will be paid by online retailers, not customers.
“With 4.6 billion packages, you can’t really have proper controls,” said Germany’s Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee.
It was “fair to ask Alibaba, Temu or Shein to pay their fair share of the cost”, Lange added.
The move marks a clear shift in tone, as EU leaders scramble to address growing distortions from duty-free e-commerce imports.
Officials and ministers largely backed the new tariff during the meeting of the Competitiveness Council.
Several countries voiced concern the current system, exempting parcels under €150 from customs duties, hands an unfair advantage to large non-European platforms.
“The risk is that flows redirected from the United States due to their new protectionist policies will arrive in Europe, making us the big losers,” warned Belgium’s economy minister David Clarinval.
He called for “a common-sense solution” and insisted that “Europe must react” to avoid being “the backyard of global trade”.
The new fee “could be part of the solution to remedy the unfair competition from Temu and others”, one person in the industry told Reuters.
Some warned, however, implementation could be decisive.
The reduced fee for EU-based warehousing may end up benefiting large global firms with logistics networks, while smaller players are left paying the full amount.
The proposed levy drew a swift response from China.
Beijing’s foreign ministry said it hoped the EU would uphold openness and provide a “fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment.”
Chinese media described the plan as a threat to free trade and warned it could escalate into a broader trade dispute.
The Commission’s plan follows a recent US decision to scrap its own “de minimis” rule, which allowed imports under $800 to enter duty-free.
Pressure has mounted in Europe for a similar overhaul.
European retailers, speaking to Reuters, said the customs exemption must be scrapped entirely to restore a level playing field.
The new fee also lands amid a broader push by the European Commission to bolster competitiveness.
Also May 22, it announced a €400 million red tape reduction plan aimed at easing regulatory burdens for mid-sized firms across the single market.
