On Wednesday 11 February, the EU27 officially approved the introduction of new customs rules for small parcels worth less than €150 entering the EU.
To deal with the increase in packages of this type, most of which originate from Chinese e-commerce platforms (see EUROPE 13782/8) and which are flooding European customs (see EUROPE 13697/8), the EU Council has agreed to abolish the customs exemption that favoured packages worth less than €150.
It also approved the introduction of a new provisional flat-rate tax of €3 on items contained in small parcels worth less than €150, due to come into effect no later than 1 July.
These parcels now account for 65% of total customs flows and present problems in terms of public health, unfair competition and environmental impact due to their almost non-existent compliance with European law.
This decision is to apply pending implementation of the reform of the Customs Code and, in particular, the EU DataHub, scheduled for 2028 at the latest. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)