EU accelerates plan to pay off all TEMU and SHIN tariffs by 2026

Los Veintisiete buscarán adelantar desde 2028 al 2026 la eliminación de una exención que permite que los paquetes de menos de 150 euros no paguen derechos de aduanas

The EU will accelerate payments on all Temu and Shey orders to pay tariffs in 2026

Twenty-seven-year-olds will move from 2028 to 2026 to eliminate an exemption that allows packages worth less than €150 not to pay customs duties.

Until now, with a customs system that does not adapt to the reality of electronic commerce, packages that entered the European Union and had a value of less than 150 euros did not have to pay customs.This exception was supposed to expire in 2028. However, at a meeting of EU finance ministers, it was agreed to extend it until 2026, although there are no concrete plans yet.This is a heavy blow to companies, especially Chinese ones, that import cheap products to the European market.

In February, the European Commission indicated in a special announcement on e-commerce the reasons for the attempts to intercept the activities of these companies."The growing volume of unsafe, counterfeit or non-compliant products poses serious risks to the safety and health of consumers, has an unsustainable impact on the environment and encourages unfair competition for legitimate companies, which has a significant impact on the EU's competitiveness in various sectors," said the Community Executive.The large number of products imported directly into the U.S. is also an overwhelming burden on customs authorities."

In 2024, the European Union will import 4.6 billion items that are considered to be of low value, which means that these packages arrive at the rate of 12 million packages per day.This is a significant increase in imports of this type, which in 2023 stood at 2.3 billion and in 2022 only 1.4 billion.Role of the Council of the European Community.

As a result, retailers have repeatedly insisted on the need to eliminate this competition without delay."This is not a technical issue, but rather Europe's ability to protect its economic interests."

These measures mainly affect the packages of companies such as Xin, Temo or AliExpress, which have been on the agenda of the European Commission for some time.In a statement released in February, the community management already stated that "Temu and SHEIN in particular are growing exponentially in the EU market, reaching more than 75 million users in the EU within a few months in 2024."The agency said, "Influenced by ubiquitous online advertising, low prices and ultra-fast shipping, the supply of low-value products through these online marketplaces is strong. This has created demand," he explained.

The example of textile companies is very clear. This is because textile products worth more than 150 euros are subject to a 12% tax, but in the case of these Chinese companies, because the value is lower than this value, therefore, they do not have to pay customs duties outside of this concept. The European Commission also highlighted the possibility of introducing a fee of two euros for "non-discrimination" for all e-commerce products.

In fact, Šefčović has long advocated moving elements of the Customs Union reform, particularly related to e-commerce, to 2026."We are determined to fulfill our obligation even faster, as soon as possible next year, instead of in 2028. shares", noted Šefčović at the end of the meeting with the finance ministers of the Twenty-seven.

Applying tariffs to these packages, however, is a highly complex technical task.Customs officials are already at the limit because "they are dealing with a large volume of imports from electronic commerce, which already accounts for more than 97% of all import declarations."In February, the European Commission.Therefore, Brussels has proposed that national authorities support the "EU Customs Authority (EUCA), which will manage the EU Customs Data Centre" to facilitate management.

Until now, with the customs system, which is not suitable according to the reality of electronic commerce, packages entering the European Union and whose value was below 150 euros had to pay taxes. This exception expired in 2028.However, at a meeting of EU finance ministers, 27 agreed to extend it until 2026, although they still have no concrete plans.This is a hardship for companies, especially the Chinese, that import cheap goods for the European market