Temu and Co.: EU wants to introduce a package fee of up to two euros

In view of a rapidly increasing number of packages from third countries, the EU Commission is considering a flat-rate tax of up to two euros for appropriate orders. According to a paper from the Brussels authority, “increased surveillance costs” should be covered, among other things. According to the EU Commission, around twelve million packages have arrived in the EU every day-significantly more than in the two previous years.

According to the chairman of the internal market committee in the EU Parliament, Anna Cavazzini, e-commerce giants such as Temu and Shein are particularly affected by the submission. “The phenomenon of the individual packages with the lowest value is young and grows through cheapest marketplaces such as Shein and Temu,” said the Greens politician. The European system of customs and market surveillance was never designed for it.

According to the EU Commission, the income from the fees should partially benefit the customs authorities. Another part should flow directly into the EU budget. “We assume that the collection of fees for the EU budget could make up about three billion euros,” said Sefcovic to the MPs of the European Parliament.

The trade commissioner expects the number of parcel from countries outside the EU to continue to increase. “All numbers for the past few years we have looked at confirm the upward trend.” Last year, 4.6 billion packages had been introduced to the EU, which corresponds to about 145 shipments per second. 91 percent of these packets came from China.

The numbers refer to shipments with a value of less than 150 euros. These parcels are currently duty -free in the EU. This could change if negotiations in Brussels proceed a reform of the common customs rules. In this context, the Commission had proposed to abolish the exception.

Temu is an online marketplace-a portal in which numerous companies sell different goods. The Chinese company has been active in Germany since spring 2023 and repeatedly causes a stir with mini prices and high discounts. Products are often delivered directly from the manufacturer to the customer.

The fashion group Shein, founded in China and is now based in Singapore, is both a manufacturer, dealer and marketplace. According to trading experts, he can quickly react to fashion trends as a direct provider. Since Shein sends its products worldwide and there are no shops and hardly any inventory, Shein can keep its prices extremely low.