EU Moves Up Fee on Online Imports: A Crackdown on Chinese Goods

The European Union is accelerating its plans to levy a bloc-wide handling fee on small packages ordered online from major platforms such as Shein, Temu, and Alibaba. The fee will be imposed as early as 2026, significantly ahead of its previously scheduled timeline, in a strategic effort to curb the surge of inexpensive Chinese imports. This initiative, reported by the Financial Times, was outlined in a letter from EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic to the union’s finance ministers. Sefcovic underscores the need for a swift implementation to protect European domestic retailers facing competitive pressure from low-cost imported goods. The proposal…