The Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE) is urging European leaders to step up their response to unfair competition, pointing to the December 12 ECOFIN meeting and France’s legal case against Chinese online retailer Shein, which seeks a three-month suspension of the platform under national digital-economy rules.
ESEE notes that, even though EU governments agreed in November to fast-track, to early 2026, the end of the €150 de minimis threshold – the EU rule that allows low-value goods imported from outside the EU to enter the single market as duty- free items – several key questions remain.
These include the exact start date, the temporary customs system that will apply until the new EU framework begins in 2028, how handling fees for small parcels will be set, and how to prevent platforms with EU-based warehouses from exploiting loopholes.
The group also points to broad concern among European traders about widespread under-valuation and misleading declarations in low-value shipments.
ESEE, in its statement, says the French case against Shein shows both the scale of the problem and the limits of national action. It is therefore in favor of a new EU-level tool that would allow the European Commission to impose temporary access restrictions on third-country platforms in cases of serious or repeated non-compliance.