Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1, the EU will impose a 3-euro tariff on small packages imported into the 27 member states, with the aim of limiting the influx into Europe of products —the vast majority of which are Chinese—that do not always comply with European standards.

What does this duty entail?

The 3-euro duty will apply to parcels valued at less than 150 euros imported into the EU, which are typically purchased online and, until now, have been exempt from all duties.

It will be levied per item, regardless of the number of items: if a package contains, for example, a T-shirt and a pair of shoes, the buyer will have to pay the 3-euro duty twice. Conversely, if the package contains two, five, or even 15 T-shirts and no other products, the buyer will pay only 3 euros. This peculiarity is related to how customs duties are calculated within the EU.

This duty is temporary: it will remain in effect until the European customs system undergoes a radical overhaul, which is expected to take place within two years.

Furthermore, starting in November, “processing fees” will be added to this duty, which will help fund customs services. The amount of these fees has not yet been determined, but could reach 2 euros per package.

What is the goal?

Initially, the EU intended to impose tariffs on imports of small parcels starting in 2028 as part of customs reform. However, the 27 member states decided to accelerate the process due to the sharp increase in low-value purchases through primarily Asian platforms, such as Shein and Temu.

The goal is both to protect consumers from potentially dangerous products and to defend European businesses and retailers from what is considered unfair competition.

Approximately 4.6 billion small packages entered the European market in 2024, that is, more than 145 per second, with 91% of them originating from China. This influx of duty-free imported parcels was considered unfair by European manufacturers and retailers.

Furthermore, given the large number of parcels, it is very often impossible to verify whether the products they contain comply with European standards, which allows dangerous products or counterfeits to be imported into the EU.

The EU believes that the duty will reduce this phenomenon by increasing the cost of very low-value orders and encouraging platforms to import their products in large quantities.

At the same time, the revenue from this tax will be used to fund inspections at European airports and ports.

Who Will Pay the Duty

Legally, it is clear: companies will have to pay the duty, but they have the right to pass the cost on to consumers, provided they have informed them accordingly.

“Online consumers are not responsible for paying the tax,” a European official pointed out. This responsibility falls on importers or sellers, who then decide whether or not to pass it on to consumers.

Consumer groups have already warned the public about the possibility of fraud.

Can platforms avoid the tariff?

Brussels assures that it will closely monitor the strategies platforms might use to try to avoid the tax: for example, by shipping parcels through EU partner countries, such as Switzerland, on imports from which no customs duties are levied.

These practices are already prohibited under European law, as customs duties are applied based on the product’s country of origin, not the country exporting it to the EU.

Furthermore, several e-commerce giants are building massive warehouses in Europe to import products in bulk and then resell them at retail prices on the European market. Since the value of these products will exceed 150 euros, they will not be subject to the 3-euro tax but will be subject to the standard customs duties applicable in the EU.

In this way, the platforms will benefit: by importing products in bulk (on pallets or even in entire shipping containers), they will significantly simplify and speed up customs procedures. But this is exactly what Europeans are hoping for, as they want to facilitate the inspection of goods upon their arrival in the EU: it is much more efficient for customs authorities to inspect entire shipments of the same product than a collection of small, different packages.

Source: APE-MPE