EU moots fee on low-value Chinese imports from 2026

The EU executive urged the bloc's finance ministers meeting on Thursday to impose a fee from next year on low-value orders from the likes of Temu and Shein to help tackle a flood of cheap Chinese imports.

At present, there is no levy on packages worth less than euro 150 imported directly to consumers in the 27-nation bloc, in many cases via Chinese-founded platforms.

The European Union in May this year proposed scrapping the exemption and imposing a two-euro flat fee on small packages that would apply from 2028.


EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic has now told EU finance ministers in a letter seen dated Wednesday to agree on a temporary solution for next year. "It is a crucial step in ensuring the European Union bolsters its position in the face of rapidly changing trade realities," Sefcovic wrote.
"This timeline is incompatible with the urgency of the situation," he pointed out.

Sefcovic said European industries, especially retailers, have stressed that "this distortion of competition be removed without delay".

"It will be extremely difficult to explain to our businesses and citizens why the EU cannot act faster to provide a solution," he added.

The letter does not mention at what level the fee should be set, but Sefcovic said the ministers should work on a "simplified temporary customs fee and a better link of IT tools".

EU member states and the European Commission are expected to agree during Thursday's talks to scrap the duty exemption and agree on finding a temporary solution for next year.