The European Commission indicated that these fees are a temporary measure and will remain in effect until 2028, the year in which all goods imported into EU countries will be subject to customs duties regardless of their value.
The decision to impose the fees was made following a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, in order to deal with the large volume of low-value online purchases.
The Commission pointed out that the European Union received approximately 4.6 billion low-value shipments in 2024, more than 12 million shipments per day, noting that the number of small imported shipments has doubled in recent years. Currently, shipments valued at less than 150 euros are exempt from customs duties.
The new fees are likely to affect online retailers that send their goods from China, such as “Shein,” “Temu,” and “AliExpress,” because 91% of low-value electronic shipments in 2024 came from China.
