The European Commission plans to charge a fee of 2 euros for each small package entering Europe.

The **European Commission** proposed Tuesday to impose a cost of **2 euros** on each **small package** entering **Europe**, the majority of which comes from **China**. “We are talking about 2 euros per package, paid by the platform” said **European Commerce Commissioner**, **Maros Sefcovic**, ahead of the **European Parliament** in **Brussels**.

The idea is specifically to target the packages of “low value” those which are worth less than **150 euros** – the threshold below which the packages sent from a third country into the **European Union** escape customs taxes.

Customs services are overwhelmed by an ever-increasing influx of these imported small packages. The statistics concerning these products are vertiginous: some **4.6 billion shipments** worth less than **150 euros** entered the **European market** in 2024, or more than **145 packages** each second. Of this total, **91%** came from **China**.

These costs of **2 euros** would be used to finance **customs controls**, said Commissioner Sefcovic. “This is why I would not qualify these management costs as a tax, but simply as a way of compensating for their cost” he detailed, highlighting the “huge” workload of customs officials.

800 Million Small Packages Delivered Last Year in France

These controls are especially needed due to the low-value parcel influx sent from **Asia**, via platforms such as **Shein** or **Temu**. This influx is feared due to the increase in **customs duties** wanted by the **United States**, particularly on small packages from **China**.

This measure was notably claimed by **France**, which proposed at the end of **April** to impose **“management costs”** on each small package entering **Europe**. For France alone, **800 million** of these small packages were delivered last year.

The **European Commission** called in **February** to abolish the exemption from customs duties, which dates back to **2010**, highlighting import risks related to “dangerous products” and a significant environmental footprint from such volumes. **Brussels** also hopes that part of the revenues generated from these costs on small packages will be assigned to the **EU budget**.

In addition to concerns regarding the health and safety of European consumers, the **Commission** also denounces their environmental impact and the distortions of competition faced by European traders, particularly **SMEs**, which comply with EU standards.