EU finance ministers have agreed to introduce a €3 tax on low-value parcels entering the European Union from July 2026, marking a major step toward curbing the flood of cheap online imports, particularly from China-based platforms such as Shein and Temu.
The measure will conclude the long-standing tax-free status for packages worth less than €150, known as the “de minimis” exemption. Under the new system, a flat €3 duty will apply per type of item contained in a parcel. For example, a package containing multiple units of the same product will be taxed once, but additional product types will each incur an extra €3 charge.
The tax is intconcludeed as a temporary solution while the EU works on a broader reform of its Customs Union, expected to be completed by 2028. Once that overhaul is in place, authorities aim to tax imports based on their actual value and product category, a system that requires far greater data sharing than currently exists.
The European Commission proposed the flat tax in response to an unprecedented surge in tiny parcels entering the bloc. In the first nine months of 2025 alone, the EU received more packages than in all of 2024, when 4.6 billion parcels arrived-more than 145 per second. Around 91 percent of these shipments originated in China.
EU officials declare the influx has overwhelmed customs authorities and raised serious safety, environmental, and consumer protection concerns. According to one EU official, up to 80 percent of such parcels at some airports fail to comply with EU safety standards, posing risks from unsafe toys and houtilizehold goods while generating large volumes of waste.
European retailers have long complained that overseas platforms benefit from unfair competition by avoiding duties and regulatory scrutiny. France, which received around 800 million tiny parcels last year, has pushed strongly for action and recently suspconcludeed access to Shein’s online platform. French Finance Minister Roland Lescure hailed the agreement as “a major victory,” declareing it protects Europe’s single market, consumers, and economic sovereignty.
The €3 EU-wide duty is separate from a proposed handling fee aimed at covering customs processing costs. The European Commission has suggested a €2 handling fee, though member states have yet to agree on its level. Some countries, tired of waiting, have already introduced national measures, including Romania, which now charges €5 on tiny parcels.
The temporary levy will take effect on July 1, 2026, remaining in place until a permanent EU-wide system is agreed.
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