10 minutes agoEU sets shopping fees from Temu, AliExpress, and other Chinese companies
Periskopi(an hour ago)
(an hour ago)The European Union has removed customs exemptions allowing small remittances from third countries to enter the bloc without paying customs. This means that European consumers will no longer be able to buy goods through well-known Chinese platforms such as Shane, Temu and AliExpress with conditions thus far, because of which their products were often cheaper than goods produced in the European Union.
From July 1st, online purchases outside the EU worth up to 150 euros are no longer excluded from customs, the European Commission (KE) has announced.
It is rules aimed at creating more equal conditions for EU companies and strengthening consumer protection.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyeen said the change aims to create more fair conditions for European companies and ensure better protection for consumers.
Many of these products do not meet EU security standards, exposing consumers to danger”, she wrote on X.
According to the EC report, goods purchased online from third countries and sent directly to consumers are now subject to a 3-euro customs fee for any product category.
This fee will formally be paid online platforms or companies that sell and import goods. However, the European Commission acknowledged that it cannot be predicted whether this additional cost will be carried to consumers through higher prices of products.
There are “consumers who should not pay this fee, but vendors or online platforms who are now forced to pay the customs fee. Of course, we cannot speak on behalf of vendors or platforms whether to raise prices, but the responsibility for paying the 3 euro fee is not in consumers”, European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said.
The tarifa is not counted for package, but according to product type. This means buying an article on several pieces or sizes, for example, five same T-shirts with different numbers will be taxed with a single 3 euro tax.
However, if different types of products are purchased in the same delivery - for example, a T - shirt, an hour, and a toy - each category will account for a special tax of 3 euros, even though all the articles come in a single package.
This exception was introduced to avoid high administrative costs for low-value purchases. However, circumstances today are quite different. Now in the European Union every day, millions of small-value packets of” arrive, Podesta said.
At the same time, EU companies that import goods largely pay customs duties, while large online platforms from third countries can send goods directly to consumers without these costs. This has marred equal competition in the market, while the removal of exemption allows the creation of equal conditions for European businesses”, she added.
According to European Commission data, only during 2025 on the EU market has 5.9 billion articles reached small-value packages from third countries without paying customs.
This means that through European customs each day more than 16 million packages destined for consumers are passed. Low-value packages today make up 97 percent of all articles imported into the EU, but only 2 percent of the total value of imports.
With trade models changing, competition in this sector is no longer equal. The rule of exclusion is routinely misused through underestimation of goods or artificial sharing of orders in some packages to stay below the 150 euro threshold”, the EC report said.
Brussels says the new rules will equal business conditions among European businessmen who import large goods and large online platforms outside the EU.
At the same time, they are also expected to contribute to the resolution of environmental problems related to the rapid increase in electronic trade, including the addition of waste from packages and emissions created during transport.
The new system will also include anti-x0> product identification for imported goods, which will enable customs authorities to find out more about unsafe products and goods that are not in line with EU standards. Their use will be voluntary from July 1, 2026, while mandatory by November of this year, REL reports, broadcasts Periscope
The European Commission says that a research conducted during 2025 has shown that more than 60 percent of low-value goods entering the EU do not comply with European safety standards or quality product regulations, which raises concerns about the presence of toxic substances and incorrect labels.
Under the new rules, online platforms will have the status of the so-called <x0 user alleged”, becoming legally responsible for the safety of products and may be punished if goods do not meet EU standards.
The 3 euro customs tariff is a temporary measure and will be implemented by July 2028, when the new European Union Customs and Data Centre is expected to become functional. Standard tariffs will then be implemented, depending on the tariff classification, origin and product value.
The measure is part of a broader reform of the EU customs system, which has been adopted by the European Parliament and member states in March 2026. The reform also envisions setting up a special fee for the processing of remittances from electronic trade from November 2026, in order to help customs services cover increased costs from the increasing number of packages. /Periscope
