The European Union’s €3 fee aimed at slowing the tide of cheap merchandise from China generated about €224 million at Belgium’s main entry point during the first seven weeks of operation, an early insight into the impact of the new measure.
The introduction of the levy also led to a 53 per cent drop in small parcels arriving at Liège airport in Belgium – a key arrival hub for Chinese goods coming into Europe – in July 2026 compared to a year earlier, according to the country’s customs service.
“The first results show we’re moving in the right direction,” Belgian finance minister Jan Jambon told reporters in Liège on Thursday.
The EU introduced the €3 flat levy on parcels worth less than €150 in July in an effort to slow an influx of cheap online goods sold by sites like Temu and Shein that enter the bloc tariff-free. It is set to be a temporary measure until a permanent customs arrangement is introduced in 2028.
Belgium’s Liège airport is a big entry point for ecommerce parcels to the bloc, with an average of 153 million small parcels arriving each month in the first half of 2026.
The 53 per cent drop in imports from China in July shows the success of the new measure in curbing imports, though officials noted a spike in goods arriving in advance of the introduction of the fee.
Ecommerce is just one area where trade tensions between the EU and China are playing out. The two sides have set an October deadline to address record trade imbalances, which European leaders have blamed on overcapacity and unfair trading practices from China, charges Beijing denies. – Bloomberg