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EU Tightens Control Over Cheap Shipments
The EU is facing a massive influx of packages from China. In 2025 alone, up to 5.8 billion shipments arrived, with more than 90% originating from China. Currently, most of these have a value below €150, meaning they are not subject to customs duties, a loophole that regulators say has fuelled the growth of platforms like Shein, Temu, and AliExpress.
To tackle this, Brussels is moving forward with a major reform of the customs system that includes officially ending the €150 duty-free threshold. By removing this limit, the EU aims to ensure fair competition, perform better product safety checks, and introduce fines for marketplace platforms that sell illegal or dangerous goods.
Visit After 8 Years Opens Sensitive Topics
A delegation of nine MEPs, led by Anna Cavazzini, raised several issues at once in Beijing: product safety, manufacturing conditions, online child protection, and the access of European companies to the Chinese market. This marks the first official EU parliamentary visit to China in eight years, following the lifting of sanctions against certain MEPs.
China Responds with New E-commerce Rules
Just days after the visit, a response came. Chinese ministries introduced new guidelines for the e-commerce sector intended to better connect the domestic and global markets.
The plan includes:
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Supporting the expansion of Chinese platforms abroad.
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Creating pilot zones for cross-border e-commerce.
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Simplifying the entry of foreign products into the Chinese market.
The goal is to find a balance between growth and regulation, while China simultaneously signals its intention to remain a powerful global player.
What This Means for E-commerce in Europe
For e-commerce players in the EU, this means one thing: a stricter environment is coming. More inspections, higher compliance requirements, and potentially higher costs when selling through marketplace platforms.
At the same time, however, the opposite direction is also opening up, if China makes it easier to import high-quality products, it could be an opportunity for European brands to expand.
