The European Union is planning to introduce a flat, €3 ($3.50) per package customs charge on e-commerce parcels valued under €150, as the trading bloc ends its de minimis exemptions in a bid to counter the flood of shipments from foreign retailers like Temu and Shein.

According to a December 11 release from the European Commission, the new fee will take effect July 1, 2026, and will apply to all low-value parcels purchased online and shipped from non-EU nations. This comes after the EU voted in November to do away with its de minimis rule in 2026, which moved the timeline up by two years at the behest of several member states. The EU also plans to enact a separate handling fee on low-value parcels in November of 2026, although negotiations on the specifics of that policy are still ongoing.

"Given the rapid increase in e-commerce goods being imported into the EU, the Commission and member states have together acknowledged the need for an urgent solution," the European Commission said, noting that the fee will also compensate customs authorities for the increasing costs associated with the growing volume of shipments from certain online retailers.

Both Temu and Shein have taken advantage of de minimis policies in the U.S. and EU in recent years to ship billions of duty-free parcels to American and European customers. In total, the European Commission estimates that roughly 4.6 billion parcels valued under €150 entered the EU in 2024, more than 90% of which came from China.

The U.S. eliminated its de minimis rule for imports from China in May, and all other nations in August, with the Trump administration citing similar concerns regarding the flood of e-commerce imports from China, as well duty-free parcels — which are subject to less customs scrutiny — being used to smuggle fentanyl precursor chemicals.