Sawt Falasteen - EU seeks new import fee on e-commerce packages

The EU action came after the US Postal Service (USPS) said it was suspending inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong, a move that could hit low-cost platforms Temu and Shein -- but the commission said the two actions were "not coordinated".

Announcing the steps at a press conference in Brussels, EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the bloc had seen the number of imported e-commerce parcels double from 2023 to 2024, to reach 12 million a day.

"Many of those products have been found to be unsafe, counterfeit or even dangerous," she said.

The commission called on EU lawmakers and member states to "consider" a handling fee on e-commerce parcels imported directly to consumers, to address the "costs of supervising compliance" with EU rules.

The move "aims to address growing concerns about the impact of those products on the health and safety of European consumers," Virkkunen said.

"It also looks into the significant environmental and climate damage caused by those shipments, and also the unlevel playing field which rogue traders create for our SMEs and businesses."

Around 90 percent of the packages concerned come from China, according to the commission, many of them sold by booming online giants Shein and Temu.

Both Chinese-founded platforms are suspected by Brussels of not doing enough to prevent the sale of products that do not meet European standards.

- Duty exemptions -

The commission also confirmed the launch of an investigation into Shein for not abiding by the bloc's consumer protection rules.

Brussels is coordinating the investigation with the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, which brings together the competent authorities of the bloc's 27 member states.

If Shein is found guilty it risks being fined.

Shein said it would "engage" its partners at EU and national government-level to "study these recommendations."

"We welcome efforts that enhance trust and safety for European consumers when shopping online," the company said.

The commission also opened an investigation in October against Temu, which sells a vast array of goods at low costs.

As well as the move to impose handling fees, the commission also called for rapid implementation of previous proposals taken to level the playing field online, including removing the duty exemption for parcels worth less than 150 euros.

On Tuesday, the USPS also scrapped a duty-free exemption for low-value packages as well as the suspension of parcel imports, drawing a furious response from Beijing.

J.AbuShaban--SF-PST