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The European Commission published a Communication earlier this month outlining a comprehensive strategy to address the growing challenges posed by e-commerce imports. With 70% of Europeans regularly purchasing goods online, the rapid rise in low-value consignments has raised concerns over consumer safety, environmental impact, and fair competition.

The Commission highlights the risks associated with the increasing number of goods imported directly to consumers. The surge in e-commerce has led to a rise in unsafe, counterfeit, and non-compliant products reaching EU markets, posing significant health and safety risks. At the same time, the environmental impact of individual parcel deliveries and the waste generated by low-quality, short-lived products have become major concerns. Additionally, EU businesses face unfair competition, as non-EU sellers often benefit from lower regulatory and fiscal obligations, creating an uneven playing field.

To tackle these challenges, the Commission is pushing for stricter enforcement of EU product safety and environmental rules, calling for closer coordination between customs and market surveillance authorities. Ensuring that goods imported through e-commerce channels comply with EU standards is a priority. A key measure proposed is the abolition of the €150 de minimis exemption, which currently allows imports of low-value consignments to enter the EU without customs duties. This exemption has been widely used by e-commerce platforms and non-EU sellers, making it easier to undercut EU businesses and evade certain regulatory requirements. Its removal is expected to improve oversight of e-commerce imports, ensuring that all goods are subject to the same level of scrutiny.

The Commission’s plan is closely linked to the ongoing EU Customs Reform, which aims to modernise customs procedures and strengthen control capacities. The reform will introduce the EU Customs Data Hub, designed to centralise and streamline customs reporting, making it easier to detect non-compliant products before they reach EU consumers. In addition, the Commission is considering the introduction of a handling fee for e-commerce imports, ensuring that the costs of customs enforcement are not unfairly borne by EU taxpayers but are instead covered by importers.

CLECAT acknowledges the need to address undervaluation, fraud, and illicit trade in e-commerce. However, we caution against abolishing the de minimis threshold as a one-size-fits-all solution. The removal of this exemption will significantly increase the number of customs declarations, placing an immense burden on customs administrations as well as legitimate traders. While the additional data collection could enhance risk analysis, CLECAT questions whether this measure would effectively combat undervaluation and illicit trade.