It is Ecommerce News Europe that reports on the leaked draft of the European Product Act. According to the information, the EU Commission is preparing a so-called market surveillance fee.
The fee is aimed at products imported into the EU from third countries and is intended to particularly affect low-price packages from platforms such as Temu and Shein. The EU initiative follows a series of stricter measures in member states. As recently as September, Ehandel.se wrote about France's new law which introduced penalty fees of up to 12 euros per garment to dampen the flow of cheap Asian fast fashion waste.
The background to the proposed legislation is that many imported goods have been found to violate EU safety requirements and chemical regulations. At the same time, national customs authorities, including in the Netherlands, have warned of an acute lack of resources to keep up with the flow of direct shipments to consumers.
The new fee is intended to be earmarked to finance precisely market controls and inspections.
Three fees are stacked on top of each other
The proposed market surveillance fee is not the first levy on foreign e-commerce packages, but the third step in a growing fee chain.
The first step was taken on July 1 this year when the EU introduced a flat-rate customs fee of three euros per product category. This flat rate is to be replaced by ordinary customs tariffs in July 2028 when the current exemption for packages under 150 euros is completely abolished. This summer, Ehandel.se highlighted how the abolished customs exemption is expected to strengthen the competitiveness of domestic traders against actors outside the union.
The second step is expected to come into force on November 1 this year, when a separate handling fee of two euros per declaration line will be introduced to strengthen the customs administration's resources.
The third step is the now leaked market surveillance fee, which is specifically intended to cover the costs of physical inspections and sampling of product safety.
The increase in fees is happening at the same time as previous measures have already begun to leave their mark on the statistics. Recently, Ehandel.se reported that Swedish e-commerce purchases from abroad fell back in August as a result of the tightened customs rules.
According to the proposal, the new fee should primarily be paid by the importer or the platforms for direct deliveries. It should be designed to be proportionate, meaning it will be lower for bulk imports compared to individual direct shipments to consumers.
In September, Ehandel.se reported that the European Parliament approved the new customs reform, which makes the platforms legally liable as importers. Just like in that reform, the new draft contains sanctions for actors who violate the rules. More specifically, it concerns fines of up to six percent of global annual turnover.