EU data shows that 4.6 billion low-value items — valued at under €22 and currently exempt from duty — reached European consumers directly last year, double the amount from 2023. 91 percent of such parcels come from China.

“The rise in e-commerce imports to the EU market has brought with it many challenges,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement, calling for a “competitive e-commerce sector that keeps consumers safe, offers convenient products, and is respectful of the environment.”

The Commission also called on the European Parliament and Council of the EU — representing national governments — to fast-track talks on a customs reform, first tabled in 2023, which proposed scrapping a €150 parcel tax break blamed for fuelling low-cost Chinese online retail.

The removal of the exemption is projected to bring customs authorities an extra €1 billion annually.

It’s still unclear how much the new handling fee would be and how it will work.

“How big is the fee is something that we will determine with the co-legislator,” a Commission official briefed reporters ahead of the publication, stressing that “the goal is not to disincentivize the purchase [from third-country traders] but better equip the customs authorities.”