EU to Hit Cheap Chinese Imports with €2 Handling Fee

The European Union is preparing to slap a flat €2 “handling fee” on every low-value parcel—anything priced under €150—that lands directly on consumers’ doorsteps, a move Brussels says is aimed squarely at the tidal wave of cheap shipments dispatched by Chinese marketplaces such as Temu and Shein.

According to the Financial Times, trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič presented the plan as part of the broader customs-reform package now circulating among member states, arguing that national authorities are overwhelmed by micro-shipments and that domestic retailers face unfair competition from sellers who often sidestep safety and tax rules.

Scale is the Commission’s core concern. By its own count 4.6 billion low-value parcels poured into the EU in 2024—about 12 million a day—and officials say “well over 90 percent” originated in China. Each of those parcels currently glides through customs with only a simplified electronic declaration; the €2 levy is meant to fund the extra inspections that more rigorous checks will require. A reduced €0.50 rate will apply to shipments that first enter an EU warehouse, and the long-disputed €150 “de minimis” customs-duty exemption will be scrapped altogether under the same reform, explains FT.

Greece is not yet publishing its own parcel tallies, but the