The European Union plans to introduce a fixed fee of 2 euros on billions of small shipments entering the Bloc countries, mostly from China. This is expected to deal a further blow to online retailers such as Temu and Shein, the Financial Times reports.
Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič told the European Parliament on Tuesday that he had proposed introducing a handling fee for parcels.
Its aim is to address the challenges of importing 4.6 billion items a year and delivering them directly to consumers' homes.
The European Commission's draft proposal envisages a €2 fee on direct sales, while parcels sent to shared warehouses will be taxed at €0.50.
Part of the revenue collected will cover the cost of additional customs checks, with the rest going to the EU budget.
Šefčovič promised to tackle the growth of small parcels from third countries, which he said had led to a serious increase in dangerous and non-compliant goods.
More importantly, however, this trend has also led to a significant increase in complaints from EU traders about unfair competition.