The European Union has agreed to overhaul its customs system, introducing new fees on low-value imports and tougher rules for online platforms to tackle a rise in e-commerce shipments and product safety risks, officials said on March 26.
The reforms come amid growing concern in Brussels about the volume of imports from China and the prevalence of unsafe or noncompliant products entering the EU market.
The provisional agreement must be officially approved by the European Parliament and the European Council before it becomes law.
EU lawmaker Dirk Gotink said the provisional deal marks the most significant reform of the bloc’s customs framework since 1968, as officials seek to address a sharp increase in small parcels entering the EU, many of which originate in China.
Under the new rules, online marketplaces and sellers such as Temu, SHEIN, and AliExpress will be treated as importers, making them responsible for customs compliance, duties, and product safety. Companies must also be established in the EU or represented by an EU-based entity with trusted trader status, tightening oversight of cross-border sellers.
Gotink said 5.8 billion low-value parcels entered the EU in 2025, and the new rules address the “explosive growth” of e-commerce.
Companies that repeatedly breach the rules could face fines of 1 to 6 percent of the value of goods they imported into the EU over the past year, and may lose their trusted trader status or be classified as high-risk operators.
New Fees, Customs System
The EU also plans to scrap the current duty-free threshold for parcels under 150 euros ($172.8), which has driven rapid growth for platforms such as AliExpress.A handling fee will apply to parcels from non-EU countries, with collection due to begin no later than Nov. 1. The European Commission will set the fee and review it every two years.
Officials say the measure is intended to cover the administrative costs associated with processing billions of small shipments and to close loopholes that have allowed low-value imports to flood the market.
Reforms also include the creation of a new EU Customs Authority, based in Lille, France, to coordinate enforcement and manage risks across the bloc.
The authority will oversee a centralized customs data hub designed to monitor goods entering the EU in real time and replace more than 100 existing IT systems.
China Focus, Safety Concerns
In 2024, 4.6 billion small packages entered the EU, 91 percent of them from China, according to European Commission data, published on Feb. 5.Last year, the bloc’s rapid alert system recorded 4,671 dangerous product alerts, including 2,006 linked to goods originating in China.
Lawmakers are increasingly focused on ensuring that foreign sellers comply with EU rules, particularly as online platforms expand rapidly.
A delegation of EU lawmakers will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 to address digital trade and e-commerce challenges, the EU Parliament said in a March 26 statement.
The nine-member group, led by Anna Cavazzini, will visit Beijing and Shanghai in the first such parliamentary mission in eight years.
In Beijing, the delegation will meet Chinese officials and representatives of European businesses operating in China.
In Shanghai, discussions will focus on compliance with EU digital market rules and competition with major platforms, alongside visits to logistics and customs facilities.
