The Council of the European Union has authorised new customs guidelines for imported parcels valued at as much as 150 euros. These shipments had been beforehand exempt from customs duties, however that can change on July 1. From that date, a flat charge of three euros will apply to every merchandise class contained in a small parcel coming into the EU.
The inflow of parcels – notably from China – has grow to be a rising concern for member states. Final 12 months, 5.8 billion low-cost ecommerce parcels entered the EU. That represents an enhance of 26 % in comparison with 2024 and greater than 4 occasions the amount recorded in 2022.
Customs authorities struggling
Customs authorities within the member states are struggling to examine the contents of the billions of parcels coming into the Union every year. In follow, this has confirmed unmanageable, permitting unsafe merchandise to enter the market. This isn’t solely dangerous to EU customers, but additionally to the aggressive place of European corporations.
Most items don’t adjust to EU guidelines and requirements
A current large-scale customs management operation revealed that the majority items shipped on to EU customers from third nations don’t adjust to EU product guidelines and security requirements. “Nonetheless, the growth of ecommerce-driven imports outpaces the speed at which management measures could be carried out”, the European Fee wrote following the publication of the findings.
EU Customs Knowledge Hub
Many of the parcels originate from China, pushed by platforms akin to AliExpress, Shein and Temu. After years of fast development, their growth has lately begun to gradual. Progress could decelerate additional following the abolition of the threshold-based customs obligation reduction for parcels valued beneath 150 euros coming into the EU. Customs tariffs will apply to all items coming into the Union as soon as the EU Customs Knowledge Hub turns into operational, which is presently anticipated in 2028.
Interim flat-rate customs obligation
Till then, member states have agreed to introduce an interim flat-rate customs obligation of 3 euros on objects contained in small parcels valued at lower than 150 euros and despatched on to customers within the EU. The obligation shall be levied on every completely different class of merchandise.
For instance, if a parcel accommodates two distinct merchandise classes, 6 euros in customs obligation could be payable. The measure is separate from the proposed so-called ‘dealing with charge’ that’s presently beneath dialogue as a part of the broader customs reform package deal.
