EU to end customs duty exemption on small parcels by 2026

EU Finance ministers agreed on Thursday to abolish the exemption from customs duties on parcels worth less than 150 euros imported into the EU. The decision was announced by Danish Economy minister Stephanie Lose following the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

The European Commission had originally proposed lifting the exemption by mid-2028 as part of a broader customs union reform. However, member states now want the measure to take effect sooner, "as soon as possible in 2026," said European Economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. A transitional system is expected to be approved at the next Council meeting on 12 December.

The European Commission had originally proposed lifting the exemption by mid-2028 as part of a broader customs union reform. However, member states now want the measure to take effect "as soon as possible in 2026," said European Economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis. A transitional system is expected to be approved at the next Council meeting on 12 December.

As part of the same reform, the European Commission has proposed introducing a small "handling fee" on parcels from non-EU e-commerce platforms. While an amount has not yet been agreed, the Commission has suggested a fee of around 2 euros per package. The EU aims to start applying this extra charge by the end of next year.

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Illegal practices

Belgian retailers have long called for a restriction on "unfair" competition from Chinese platforms, such as Shein and Temu. According to consumer organisations, they employ illegal commercial practices, including misleading promotions, false sustainability claims, and pressure-selling.

Nevertheless, Chinese online retailers remain hugely popular in Europe. Dombrovskis noted that approximately 4.6 billion low-value parcels were imported into the EU in 2024, 91 per cent of which came from China. In Belgium alone, over one billion Chinese e-commerce goods entered the country last year, largely because Liège Airport is one of Europe's busiest cargo airports.

^{PHOTO © JOHN THYS / AFP}

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