Robots sort parcels at the Hellenic Post’s sorting centre in Kryoneri, Greece, October 4, 2021. Picture taken October 4, 2021. [Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo]
Greek retailers want the European Union to bring forward the introduction of a 2-euro handling fee for low-value e-commerce packages coming into the bloc, a letter seen by Reuters showed.
The EU disclosed plans in May to remove the duty-free treatment of low-value consignments worth no more than €150 and impose the €2 fee in 2028, as the bloc faces an influx of goods sold online from Asia.
In the letter to EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, the president of the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Enterprises, Stavros Kafounis, requested the implementation of the proposals “no later than 2026.”
EU customs authorities handled some 4.6 billion low-value packages bought online in 2024, 91% of them coming from China and a doubling from 2023.
About 1 in 5 euros from sales of e-commerce goods in Greece is going to Chinese platforms and is expected to rise exponentially in the next coming years, according to the confederation.
“The rapid growth of mega e-commerce platforms based in China has already disrupted the level playing field across the EU retail market,” Kafounis said in the letter.
The proposed €2 fee, which needs approval from EU governments and the European Parliament, would be incurred by the online retailer, rather than by customers. [Reuters]