Latest! European Union (EU) To Impose Fixed Tariff Of 3 Euros Per Small Import Package Starting Next July! Plastic Prices Mixed Today

 

According to foreign media reports, EU finance ministers have agreed to impose a fixed tariff of 3 euros per package on imported parcels valued below 150 euros starting from July 2026, in order to address the surge in the number of small parcels brought by cross-border e-commerce platforms such as Shein and Temu. An EU spokesperson stated that this fixed fee will be implemented until the EU can reach a permanent solution on the issue of import duties.

Regarding the fee standards, a spokesperson for the Council of Europe stated that the new charging standard applies once per item. This means that if a package contains different items, each item will be charged once; however, if the package contains multiple identical items, only one charge will be applied.

Data shows that in 2024, 4.6 billion small parcels will enter the EU, averaging over 145 per second, with 91% of them coming from China. Furthermore, it is expected that this number will continue to rise. The EU Council stated in a declaration: "This temporary measure aims to address the current situation where such parcels enter the EU tax-free, which leads to unfair competition for EU sellers, poses health and safety risks to consumers, results in high fraud rates, and causes environmental issues."

As a major power in the EU, France has prioritized this issue, as it received approximately 800 million such packages last year, and there is significant domestic pressure for action. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure welcomed the new policy, calling it "a significant victory for the EU."

In May of this year, the European Commission proposed a handling fee for small parcels, amounting to 2 euros. However, at that time, EU member states had not reached an agreement on the specific amount of the fee. Now, the amount has been increased from 2 euros to 3 euros, and a specific implementation date has been finalized. Just a month ago, the EU agreed to end the tariff exemption for parcels valued under 150 euros two years earlier, in 2026.

Whether it is the cancellation of tax exemption policies or the imposition of fixed tariffs on packages, these measures will significantly impact cross-border e-commerce relying on direct mailing of small packages. Particularly for price-sensitive products and merchants, as costs rise, their price advantage will inevitably be weakened, and profit margins will be further compressed.