European retail and wholesale association EuroCommerce is urging policymakers to quickly implement a unified handling fee for international parcels. A national approach to customs reform and to the parcel tax could undermine the integrity of the single European market.
EuroCommerce is a retail and wholesale association. It often conducts research about the state of ecommerce in Europe. Last month, for example, it released the European E-commerce Report 2025. The report indicated that online consumer spending increased 7 percent in 2024, reaching 819 billion euros.
European reforms
The European Commission has announced that it wants to introduce a fixed 2 euro fee on packages coming from outside the European Union. This fee would be paid by platforms sending them to the European Union. Shipments going to European warehouses would get a lower fee, of 0.50 euros.
The measure still needs approval from the European Parliament and member states. It is expected that it will take effect in march 2028. The exemption from import duties, for shipments with a value of up to 150 euros, will also be abolished at the same time.
Some countries want to implement the reforms sooner
In a response to this proposal, several countries in the European Union have announced that they are looking for ways to start implementing a parcel tax earlier. Belgium, for example, wants to introduce a 2 euro fee per parcel starting in 2026. The tax could also be implemented before 2028 in the Netherlands.
‘Swift harmonized solution is essential’
However, EuroCommerce has now issued a statement that this approach could cause problems. “We need one EU handling fee – not fragmentation”, said Christel Delberghe, director general of EuroCommerce.
‘These proposals risk fragmentation and undermining the level playing field’
“We urge the trilogue parties to take a clear position here and prevent the emergence of diverging regimes on handling fees across the Member States. Several EU member states have already proposed national handling fees. A swift, harmonized EU solution is essential, as such proposals risk fragmentation and undermining the level playing field.”
