Overview
- EU negotiators, who struck a deal Thursday, set a new processing fee on non‑EU parcels from November 1, 2026, with the European Commission to decide the amount after discussing a flat €2.
- An interim €3 charge per product type in a shipment worth up to €150 begins July 1, 2026, and will stay in place until a digital customs system launches in 2028.
- The measures target the mass of cheap goods sent through Shein, Temu and AliExpress, as EU data show about 5.9 billion small parcels entered in 2025 and more than 90% originated in China.
- In 2028, platforms that repeatedly deliver unsafe goods face fines up to 6% of the prior year’s import value and could be banned, responding to tests that found many items failed EU safety rules.
- Who pays the new costs remains uncertain, but the flat fees could push platforms to consolidate shipments into containers, which are easier for customs to inspect and may raise costs for small mixed orders.