EU Pushes for Crackdown on Low-Value E-Commerce Imports
The European Commission is pushing for new import fees and customs controls on certain low-value e-commerce imports that it said are unsafe, counterfeit or don’t meet other EU product standards. The controls could target products from online marketplaces such as AliExpess, Amazon, Shein and Temu, the commission said, adding that those companies could be liable for the sale of unsafe products on their platforms.
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The measures are meant to target what the commission said has been a sharp rise in low-value goods bought and imported from foreign online marketplaces, adding that just six member states were responsible for supervising nearly 90% of those imported goods in 2024. “This has put a significant strain on customs authorities,” the commission said.
It called on EU states to “swiftly” adopt an existing proposed customs reform package (see 2305170031) that would remove the 150 euro (about $156) duty exemption and introduce a “simplified tariff treatment for low-value consignments.” It also said member states should be allowed to impose new “non-discriminatory” handling fees 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.”
It called for new import controls at EU borders, which can be “coordinated” between member states’ customs agencies and market surveillance authorities, “focusing specifically on e-commerce imports.” The controls should focus on products with “significant safety hazards and risk of non-compliance, bringing together customs and market surveillance authorities to gather evidence about such products,” the commission said in a questions and answers document.
The bloc published a “toolbox” of measures that it said member states should take to curb these imports. Along with new border controls, the commission suggested the EU carry out its “first-ever product safety sweep” to remove “non-compliant goods” from the European market.
The EU said “future controls will be intensified for certain operators, goods or trade flows, on a rolling basis, in the light of the risk analysis.” The commission noted that Chinese online marketplace Temu is already facing an investigation under the EU’s Digital Services Act for possible illegal sales of products.
“The higher the rate of non-compliance, the greater should be the level of vigilance in subsequent stages, while penalties should reflect cases of systematic non-compliance,” the commission said.
The commission said it will “assess the effect of the announced actions” within one year and publish a report on its findings. It will then “consider whether existing frameworks and enforcement activities are sufficient and adequate. If not, further actions and proposals will be considered to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of EU rules.”
The EU announcement comes days after President Donald Trump announced plans to eliminate the duty-free de minimis threshold for goods from China (see 2502030034 and 2502040043).