Plans for taxation on small packages -valued under 150 euros- appear to be in preparation by the European Union, in a decision that is expected to hit Shein and Temu the hardest. More specifically, the EU seeks to tax small packages, which mostly originate from China, through the abolition of duty exemptions on low-value products. This measure is expected to be approved at the Finance Ministers’ meeting.
Read: “Stop” to cheap packages from Shein and Temu imposed by the Commission: What is being examined
It should be noted that the Commission had proposed this measure in February, which must be accompanied by processing fees on each small package entering the EU, while it is necessary to point out that most of these packages concern electronic purchases made on the Shein and Temu platforms.
EU tariffs: Commission proposes two euro charge per package
The European Commission, in fact, proposes a two euro charge per package, although the amount of these fees has not yet been determined.
It is emphasized that until today, the Commission was planning to implement this measure by mid-2028, as part of a broader reform of the customs union, but according to what European Commissioner Maros Sefkovic stated in his memo to the 27, “this timeline does not correspond to the urgent nature of the situation”.
Finally, it is stressed that today (13/11), the Commission and Finance Ministers are expected to agree on the need to establish a transitional system for taxing small packages that will be implemented at the beginning of next year, while according to this plan they are expected to commit, given the urgent nature of the situation, to finding a simple and temporary solution that will allow the implementation of these measures by the first quarter of 2026.
In any case, however, these transitional measures will be put forward for approval at the upcoming European Finance Ministers’ council on December 12.
