The European Commission is taking action to tackle risks stemming from so-called low-value imports sold via non-EU online retailers and marketplaces hosting non-EU traders. The measures are expected to hit Chinese retailers such as Temu.
The Commission is encouraging actions, among others, in the areas of customs and trade, such as launching customs controls, consumer protection and the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts.
According to the EC, last year, saw Europe flooded with low value imports from outside the bloc. It is estimated that around 4.6 billion low-value consignments, i.e. goods with a value not exceeding €150, entered the EU market equalling to 12 million parcels per day.
This is twice as many as in 2023 and three times as many as in 2022, and many of these goods have found to be non-compliant with European legislation.
The EC says this growth is raising numerous concerns. “Mainly, there are more and more harmful products entering the EU. More so, European sellers, who respect our high product standards, are at risk of being harmed by unfair practices and the sale of counterfeit goods through online marketplaces. Finally, the large number of packages being shipped and transported has a negative environmental and climate footprint.”
In response, Brussels is calling for customs reform, including calling for “co-legislators to swiftly adopt the proposed Customs Union Reform Package, allowing rapid implementation of new rules to level the playing field in the area of e-commerce. These include removal of the duty exemption for low-value parcels worth less than €150 and reinforcing capabilities for controls such as better data-sharing and risk assessment. The Commission also invites the co-legislators to consider further measures, such as a non-discriminatory handling fee, on e-commerce items imported in the EU directly to consumers, to address the scaling costs of supervising compliance of billions of such consignments with EU rules.”