The EU Parliament and the European Council on Thursday approved a handling fee for small packages arriving from outside the bloc, to take effect by November 1 at the latest. The European Commission must set the flat fee, which is expected to be about €2 per package, on top of a separate customs charge of €3 for purchases worth up to €150. The customs fee is due to begin in July.
The measure responds to a surge of low-cost items shipped to Europe from platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress, and from Amazon. The EU says 5.9 million such small packages entered the bloc in 2025, with 90% originating in China. The volume has made thorough inspections by customs officials difficult.
Consumer groups warn many goods from discount Chinese platforms contain hazardous chemicals banned in the EU; some estimate more than 90% of items on offer may be noncompliant. Part of the new handling-fee revenue will be used to hire additional customs agents.
Lawmakers also set penalties for companies that violate EU safety rules. From 2028, firms proven to have exported dangerous products to the EU could face fines up to 6% of the revenue generated by their annual exports to the bloc.
The European consumer organization BEUC welcomed the move, citing risks from hazardous items such as choking-prone toys and textiles contaminated with banned chemicals. Consumers also complain about poor product quality and confusing return procedures on those platforms.
The German Trade Association (HDE) estimates Shein and Temu alone send roughly 400,000 packages to German customers each day, generating between €2.7 billion and €3.3 billion in revenue in 2024. HDE data suggest more than 14 million Germans bought items from those platforms in 2025.
Edited by: Alex Berry
