BRUSSELS: The European Union (EU) is imposing an import fee of €3 (US$3.52) on small parcels with a value of less than €150 (US$176) from July 2026, said EU diplomats on Friday, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
The fee is a temporary measure and is to remain in place until 2028, when all goods imported into the EU will be subject to customs duties regardless of their value.
The fee was agreed on Friday by EU finance ministers gathered in Brussels to tackle the influx of cheap e-commerce purchases.
According to the European Commission, 4.6 billion low-value parcels of under €150 were imported into the EU in 2024, equivalent to over 12 million parcels a day.
The number of small parcels arriving in the EU had doubled annually in recent years.
Currently, packages with a value of up to €150 can be imported into the EU duty-free.
The new fee is likely to affect online retailers shipping out of China, such as Shein, Temu or AliExpress, as 91 per cent of all e-commerce shipments valued under €150 came from China in 2024. — BERNAMA-dpa
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