* EU to hold online platforms responsible for duties and

safety

* Fines for non-compliance range from 1% to 6% of EU

sales

* Duty exemption for parcels under 150 euros to be

scrapped

* EU lawmakers to visit China next week to address

e-commerce, fair competition, safety compliance

By Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS, March 26 (Reuters) - The European Union agreed

on Thursday to an overhaul of its customs system, including a

crackdown on mainly Chinese e-commerce platforms that face

potential fines if they sell illegal or unsafe products into the

bloc.

The 27-nation bloc is seeking to coordinate collection of

duties and safety checks as it struggles to manage the high

volume of low-value e-commerce parcels entering the bloc, with

the total reaching 5.8 billion in 2025.

Representatives of the European Parliament and EU

governments struck a provisional deal late after negotiations

running into Thursday evening to clarify final details.

Under the new system, online platforms that sell into the

bloc will be treated as importers and responsible for payment of

duties and product safety. Companies repeatedly flouting EU

rules could face fines of between 1 and 6% of their total sales

into the EU over the previous 12 months.

The EU does not apply customs duty on parcels valued at less

than 150 euros ($173.85), which has fuelled rapid growth of

online shopping platforms such as Shein, Temu and

AliExpress that send consumers packages direct from

China.

The bloc aims to scrap the duty exemption and plans to

impose a 3 euro fee from July as a interim measure. The European

Commission will also now determine an additional handling fee to

be imposed from November 1.

On Wednesday, French city Lille was selected as the location

of the future EU Customs Authority (EUCA), whose 250 staff will

oversee a new EU data hub that will provide a more centralised

and digital view of incoming goods.

The data hub is slated to open for e-commerce consignments

in 2028 and cover all imported goods by March 1, 2034.

EU LAWMAKERS TO VISIT CHINA

Next week, the EU will send a nine-member delegation to

Beijing and Shanghai to address challenges in the digital and

e-commerce sector as well as foster fair competition between

China and the bloc, a statement from the EU Delegation to China

on Thursday showed.

Over three days, the European lawmakers will meet with

Chinese legislators and market regulators as well as Shein,

Alibaba ( BABA ) and Temu.

The bloc's concerns over product safety were highlighted by

a study published by the European Commission this month. It

found that 60% to 65% of imported cosmetics, including make-up,

food supplements and personal protective equipment, such as

bicycle helmets, did not comply with EU safety rules.

"A top concern ... are the systemic breaches of EU laws and

the high volume of non-compliant small parcels coming from

non-EU online platforms, including from China," the EU statement

said.

In what would be the first EU parliamentary visit in eight

years, the engagements are expected to focus on digital

regulation, consumer protection and compliance with product

safety rules.