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Brussels wants to accelerate the removal of a €150 threshold below which the European Union does not apply customs duties on parcels entering the bloc, in a crackdown against cheap Chinese imports.
In a letter to the EU finance minister, trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic proposed that the “de minimis” threshold be removed in the first quarter of 2026, two years earlier than planned.
Such a move would signal the bloc was serious about shielding the competitiveness of businesses in the 27-nation bloc, Sefcovic wrote.
Faced with 4.6 billion small packages arriving in the EU a year, mostly from China, the Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, is facing pressure from EU companies to stem that flow more quickly.
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“As things currently stand, the actual abolition of the de minimis threshold will only take place in mid-2028. This timeline is incompatible with the urgency of the situation and with our shared interests,” the letter from Sefcovic said.
“If we act with the required political determination and pragmatism a workable solution could be put in place for Q1, 2026,” he said.
EU finance ministers are expected to discuss the proposals on Thursday. Ahead of that meeting, Dutch finance minister Eelco Heinen told reporters it was time to “get a grip” on cheap Chinese parcels flooding the European market.
By Jan Strupczewski
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