EU demands a 2 euro package fee for orders from China - what does that mean?

EU demands a 2 euro package fee for orders from China - what does that mean?

Österreich, Österreich - The European Union plans to introduce a new package fee of up to 2 euros for orders from non-EU countries, especially from China. This measure aims to relieve the customs authorities and at the same time generate income for the EU budget. It is estimated that the new fee could bring up to 3 billion euros a year. In 2024, a total of 4.6 billion packages were introduced to the EU, 91 percent of which came from China, where platforms such as Temu and Shein are active for their cheap offers. According to 5min, the fees should be 2 euros per package to private households and 50 cents for shipments at department stores. These costs are to be borne by the order platforms, but could be passed on to consumers.

The trade association Austria supports this initiative and sees it as a necessary step to reduce the disadvantage of European dealers. The managing director of the trade association, Rainer Will, also calls for a reduction in the current duty -free limit from 150 euros to 0 euros and more resources for customs authorities to ensure strict import controls. In addition, the trade association wants temporary locks for platforms that repeatedly violate legislation.

background and other measures

The EU deals intensively with the problem of cheap imports from China, which often come onto the market through platforms such as Temu and Shein. These companies use existing low-price loopholes to bring goods to the EU tax-free. The new fee is also intended to improve the control of counterfeiting by obliging online platforms to check the legal conformity and the safety standards of the products offered. The trade association warns that the competitive conditions are unfair and tax losses and product defects have increased in recent years.

In 2021, tightened customs regulations came into force: All orders from non-EU countries must be registered at customs, which means that the previous exemption limit of 22 euros for customs registrations has been eliminated. There are no tariffs for shipments with a value of less than 150 euros, but import sales tax is due. Courier services are increasingly raising additional service flat rates for customs processing, which further increases the costs for consumers. According to the Consumer Center, the import sales tax begins from an amount of EUR 5.26.

The trade association already submitted a UWG complaint against Temu to the federal competition authority in August 2024 and has intensive discussions with Austrian customs to promote fair trade and enforce existing laws more strictly.