Overview
- Ministers agreed in Brussels to end the de‑minimis rule for parcels under €150 and tasked the European Commission with a simple interim system to apply the change as soon as possible.
- They signaled an accelerated timetable, with multiple reports pointing to measures from 2026, while a full digital customs platform remains slated for 2028.
- The Commission cites widespread undervaluation—about 65% of incoming packages—and a flood of low‑value shipments, roughly 4.6 billion in 2024 or about 12 million per day across the EU.
- A transitional processing fee of around €2 per small parcel is under consideration, with details due for discussion and potential agreement at the Ecofin meeting on 12 December.
- Platforms such as Shein and Temu are expected to be most affected—industry data put their German traffic at about 400,000 parcels daily—as officials and consumer groups press for stronger enforcement and product‑safety compliance.