EU cheap parcel fees could raise €6bn a year from 2028, document shows
A European Commission document seen by Reuters shows that new fees on cheap ecommerce parcels targeting Chinese platforms such as Shein and Temu could raise €6 billion annually for the EU budget from 2028 to 2034. The estimate comes as Brussels cracks down on a surge of low-value imports, with an ad
European Union charges on cheap ecommerce parcels entering the bloc, which target Chinese platforms such as Shein and Temu, could raise €6 billion a year for the EU budget from 2028 to 2034, a Commission document seen by Reuters on Friday showed.
The estimate, previously unreported, shows the scale of Europe's crackdown on a flood of cheap ecommerce imports, which it says mostly come from China. Some 5.8 billion parcels worth less than €150 entered the EU last year, a 26 per cent rise from the previous year, according to the European Commission, which estimates the majority were undervalued to avoid customs duties.
The EU will impose an additional €2 fee on cheap parcels on November 1, raising the charge per separate item further after a €3 charge has been imposed since the start of July. Dirk Gotink, the European Parliament lawmaker leading the bloc's customs reforms, said the new fee was to tackle "a highly toxic business model of low value non-compliant e-commerce imports from China".
"The newly generated revenue gives us the chance and means to reverse decades of underinvestment and to give Europe's customs authorities the resources they need to effectively protect our single market," he said.
Chinese ecommerce groups have already begun adapting. AliExpress, owned by Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, said it was increasing local warehousing in response to the fees, but warned the charges would hurt low-income households in Europe and "exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis". Temu has been offering some shoppers a discount on the fees, according to screenshots seen by Reuters, highlighting the pressure to limit sticker shock for consumers used to ordering €3 jewellery and €5 dresses. Temu did not respond to a request for comment.
Newly listed Shein, which is expanding warehouse space in Poland, said it was focused on keeping prices "competitive" alongside faster and more convenient delivery. US rival Amazon said 97 per cent of the products it sells in the EU are fulfilled from warehouses in the bloc, so very few shipments are impacted by the fees.
The Commission estimates some 90 per cent of the fees collected will go into EU coffers and 10 per cent to member states, but that could change if member states push to keep more of the proceeds, with negotiations over the 2028-2034 budget ongoing. Currently, EU member states keep 25 per cent of the fees.