Platforms like Temu and Shein will be particularly affected. In Germany, this is being called an “important signal” for fair competition.
The EU intends to take stronger action against cheap imports, primarily from Asian trading platforms such as Temu and Shein. EU finance ministers agreed in Brussels on Thursday to eliminate customs exemptions for parcels from third countries valued below €150. Simultaneously, the ministers decided to work with the European Commission on a “simple interim solution” to implement the removal of these exemptions “as soon as possible.”
Currently, the EU has a customs exemption for parcels under €150 delivered directly to consumers—often from online platforms of Chinese origin. Previously, the EU had proposed abolishing this exception by 2028.
At their meeting in Brussels, the finance ministers decided that, together with the Commission, they would work on finding a “simple interim solution” to enable the removal of the customs exemptions “as soon as possible.”
The European Commission, along with some member states, had insisted on earlier implementation. This is a “decisive step” to strengthen the EU’s position “in the face of rapidly changing trade realities,” wrote Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič in a letter to the ministers, which AFP was able to review.
The originally planned timeline is “incompatible with the urgency of the situation,” he wrote to the finance ministers. This “competitive distortion” must be “eliminated immediately,” he emphasized.
Klingbeil: “An Important Signal”
Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil (SPD) stated on Wednesday that this is “an important signal” that “we do not want cheap mass-produced goods from China, that we are protecting our markets.” He wants to implement “all of this as quickly as possible.”
The German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (ZGV) welcomed the agreement in Brussels and simultaneously called for “swift implementation.” ZGV President Günter Althaus described it as a “long-overdue step toward fair competition in Europe.” Customs authorities must now be “equipped with personnel and digital technology so they can effectively monitor the growing volume of goods.”
The plan for earlier implementation is to be approved at the next finance ministers’ meeting on December 12.
The measure is to be accompanied by the introduction of a handling fee for small parcels. In May, the EU proposed a fixed fee of €2 for each small parcel shipped to the EU. The EU would like to be able to apply this fee from the end of 2026.
Source: dpa
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