AMZ123 has learned that European textile and related industry associations EURATEX, UFIMH and UIT recently issued a joint statement calling on the European Commission to raise handling fees for small parcels from non-EU countries, recommending about €10 per parcel.

Currently, the handling fee standard under discussion in the EU is €2 per parcel. EU Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič proposed this amount in May 2025, saying the fee is mainly intended to cover customs authorities' administrative costs for handling small parcels. However, European industry associations believe €2 does not reflect the real processing cost, and €10 is closer to the actual input required for such work.

Under the associations' proposal, the handling fee could also be earmarked to strengthen customs inspections, market surveillance and product safety checks. For cross-border small parcels, which have grown rapidly in recent years, this means the fee could not only become part of import costs, but also further tighten EU oversight of low-value imported goods.

It should be noted that this handling fee is not the same as the flat-rate customs duty already implemented by the EU. The handling fee is an independent charge and is not equivalent to a tariff. Since 1 July 2026, the EU has applied a flat-rate customs duty to parcels valued at no more than €150, charging €3 per item under Regulation (EU) 2026/382.

If the €10 handling fee is formally introduced, eligible small parcels could face both a €3 customs duty and a €10 handling fee. Under current arrangements, this model could last at least until July 2028. At that point, with the launch of the new EU customs data space, such goods are expected to become subject to regular customs duties again.

The impact of the €10 handling fee is especially significant for low-value goods. For example, if a product is worth only €8, the €10 handling fee alone already exceeds the item's price. Adding the existing €3 flat-rate duty, the cost of an €8 product would increase by €13, more than 1.5 times its original value.

Among the industry associations pushing for a higher handling fee, EURATEX is particularly prominent. The association said its members cover about 1.3 million employees and 200,000 companies in the European textile industry.

Author✎  Summer/AMZ123
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Seller Home Review

The EU is considering raising the handling fee for low-value cross-border parcels to €10. Combined with customs duties, the final cost of an €8 product could double. Sellers are advised to assess profit margins for low-value products shipped to Europe as soon as possible, monitor the policy's implementation timeline, and adjust pricing and logistics arrangements in advance.

Source: Cross-border logistics news
Original link: https://www.amz123.com/t/yVeIGDZo