The EU on Wednesday imposed a €3 ($3.40) levy on low-value e-commerce imports in a move to curb what it sees as unfair competition from online retailers, notably Chinese firms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress.
This comes as the number of such parcels entering the bloc under a previous exemption for goods valued under €150 rose dramatically from 1.4 billion in 2022 to 5.8 billion in 2025.
Why is the import levy being imposed?
The European Commission, which controls EU trade policy, says the step aims not only to prevent companies exploiting the previous exemption to gain a competitive advantage but to stop the import of goods that do not meet the bloc's safety standards.
It also says that customs authorities have been overwhelmed by the number of small packages coming from overseas and were unable to carry out requisite checks properly.New tariffs on low-cost goods from ChinaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
