As of Wednesday, the European Union (EU) is abolishing the outdated duty exemption for packages of e-commerce services worth less than 150 euros. Goods originating from third countries purchased online and sent directly to consumers will be subject to a duty of three euros per piece. The TASR reporter drew attention to the report of the European Commission.
- As of Wednesday, the European Union is canceling the customs exemption for shipments under 150 euros.
- A uniform duty of three euros is being introduced for online goods from third countries.
- Platforms and companies will pay the duty, the consumer does not pay anything for delivery.
The Commission announced that this measure will ensure a level playing field for EU businesses, restore fairness between importers and safe choice for consumers.
Negative impact of packages
The €150 duty exemption was designed for an era of casual online shopping and less digitized customs systems. The surge in the delivery of billions of products via e-commerce is undermining local job opportunities, undermining community life and environmentally contributing to high-carbon packaging waste and logistics, as frequent returns and long-distance shipping double pollution from transport.
Customs authorities collect duties from platforms or other businesses involved in the sale and transportation of imported goods. Consumers shopping online will be spared an additional delivery charge.
Expectations from Šefčovič
European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič pointed out that the EU e-commerce market remains open, but it cannot come at the expense of consumers and businesses.
“Goods entering the Union should meet the same compliance and traceability standards as goods sold in our single market. Platforms and sellers that profit from European consumers must follow the same rules as European businesses,” explained Šefčovič, according to whom the abolition of the “de minimis” exception will lead to fairer competition, stronger law enforcement and better consumer protection.
Market risks and issues
The rapid growth of e-commerce has also brought increased risks for consumers. An EU-wide investigation in 2025 found that more than 60% of low-value goods entering the Union do not meet product requirements or safety standards, may contain toxic ingredients or be mislabelled, putting consumers at risk.
The new measure introduces the need to declare product identifiers. This will improve risk management and control procedures, helping to enforce bans and restrictions. Control authorities will more effectively detect goods that do not comply with regulations.
Data center destination
The customs burden rate of three euros is a temporary solution agreed upon by the EU member states.
From July 2028, the EU Customs Data Center will start operating, which will apply normal customs duties based on the nomenclature classification of goods, their origin and value in accordance with existing and standard EU customs rules.
The Commission recalled that in 2025, 5.9 billion items in low-value parcels from third countries would flood the EU market without paying duties. Every day, customs authorities clear more than 16 million parcels for consumers in the EU. Low value parcels account for 97% of all imported items in the EU, but represent only 2% of import value. The duty-free rule was commonly exploited by undervaluing goods or artificially splitting orders into multiple packages to stay below the €150 threshold.
