A new fee of two euros has come into force, which will be charged on all orders arriving from jurisdictions outside the European Union, regardless of their value. This fee will apply depending on the category of goods.
For example, if a buyer purchases five T-shirts, only a single two-euro charge is applied because they belong to one category. However, if an order includes items from three different categories—such as watches, T-shirts, and jewelry—the total fee will amount to six euros.
This new two-euro levy supplements the existing three-euro duty that the European Commission began applying back in July for orders valued under 150 euros. Nevertheless, the July duty is only valid until 2028, when the new EU customs system will be implemented; unlike it, the fee being charged today is permanent and applies to all orders, irrespective of their value.
The measure will take effect in a few weeks before the start of 'Black Friday' and 'Cyber Monday' sales. The EU insists that the costs of this duty should be covered by the platforms, not the end consumer. However, no measures are provided to prevent platforms from passing on the cost of this fee to the price of their goods.
The European Commission notes that approximately five million orders arrive in Europe daily, most of which originate from Chinese platforms such as Temu, AliExpress, or Shein. This volume of orders places a strain on customs authorities, especially considering that the executive body estimates that about 60% of orders from outside the EU do not comply with pan-European requirements.
The goal of introducing this duty is to cover the additional costs incurred by customs services due to the high volume of orders. This allows them to monitor parcels from outside the bloc more carefully and ensure compliance with European rules.