EU introduces €3 customs charge on small parcels to curb cheap Chinese imports

The European Commission is closing a major loophole in European trade rules. According to The Guardian, the EU will now charge three euros in customs duties on small parcels—ending a decades-old exemption that allowed goods worth up to one hundred fifty euros to enter the bloc duty-free. Online retailers like Temu and Shein capitalized on this "de minimis" rule to flood European markets with ultra-cheap fashion and gadgets. The Commission says the three euro charge is meant to prevent what it describes as the "desertification" of European high streets and to level the playing field for traditional retailers.

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