Overview
- EU finance ministers approved in principle scrapping the under-€150 duty waiver, targeting application from the first quarter of 2026 via a temporary regime.
- The move seeks to curb a surge of low-cost, often non-compliant goods bought on platforms such as Shein and Temu and to bolster consumer protection and fair competition.
- The European Commission has proposed a €2 per‑parcel handling charge to finance controls, but the final amount and start date remain undecided.
- Roughly 4.6 billion sub‑€150 shipments entered the EU in 2024—about 145 per second—with around 91% originating from China, overwhelming customs checks.
- France led the push to accelerate the change and is weighing a national per‑item levy, though experts warn unilateral measures could be easily circumvented without an EU‑wide approach.