Starting November 1, the European Union will apply a two-euro handling fee on all parcels destined for the EU market. As reported by the broadcaster Euronews, the new charge applies to each shipment regardless of the declared economic value and is intended to cover administrative and control costs incurred by customs due to the volumes generated by e-commerce.

The new fee adds to a temporary three-euro duty introduced in July on small parcels valued at less than one hundred and fifty euros, intended to remain in force until 2028. The financial burden will fall on sales platforms, merchants, or carriers and will be collected by the twenty-seven Member States: seventy-five percent of the proceeds will go into the European budget, while the remaining twenty-five percent will remain with the countries.

The provisions aim to stem the wave of low-priced products coming from Chinese operators such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. Between July and September, the flow of small parcels decreased by sixty percent, although five million packages still enter per day, ninety-one percent of which came from China in 2024, creating strong competition for European Union retailers.

The EU executive is also addressing the compliance of imported goods, having proposed rules in September to ensure a resident legal representative for online sales. On the supervisory front, the Commission imposed a two hundred million euro fine on Temu in May for unsafe products and is conducting investigations into Shein regarding violations concerning prohibited goods.