Overview
- EU finance ministers agreed to abolish the low‑value import threshold, with the Danish chair confirming plans to levy customs duties from a goods value of €1.
- The European Commission’s proposal targets entry into force in 2028 alongside a new digital processing platform, while member states discuss transitional measures as early as 2026.
- Officials are weighing a per‑parcel charge reportedly set at €2 on deliveries to private customers from non‑EU countries and €0.50 on shipments to warehouses to fund stronger customs controls.
- EU data show roughly 4–4.6 billion parcels under €150 entered the bloc in 2024—about 91% from China—with research citing hundreds of thousands of daily shipments to Germany from Temu and Shein.
- Consumer tests by Stiftung Warentest found unsafe or non‑compliant items in low‑cost imports, and industry and consumer groups are urging legal duties for online marketplaces to collect and remit VAT and customs.