*

EU received 4.6 bln low-cost e-commerce packages in 2024,

91%

from China

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EU plans to phase out duty-free exemption for goods worth

less

than 150 euros

*

China urges EU to maintain commitment to open trade

(Adds comment from China in paragraph 8, more details

throughout)

BRUSSELS, May 21 (Reuters) - The European Union is set

to propose a 2 euro ($2.27) handling fee for low-value

e-commerce packages coming into the bloc, as it struggles to

deal with the billions of cheap goods sold by online platforms

such as Shein and Temu to European consumers.

EU customs authorities handled some 4.6 billion low-value

packages bought online in 2024, 91% from China and a doubling

from 2023.

The European Commission in February said it would remove the

duty-free treatment of low-value consignments worth no more than

150 euros, but not until 2028. The Commission also said it would

explore the possibility of an e-commerce handling fee.

The fee needs approval from EU governments, which have not

yet discussed it, and the European Parliament. France called for

such a measure last month.

The EU executive said the fee would cover work to ensure

compliance of the huge number of parcels with EU rules, such as

for toy safety, and would be incurred by the online retailer,

rather than by customers.

"With 4.6 billion packages, you can't really have proper

controls and to introduce it costs a lot of money and therefore

it's fair to ask Alibaba ( BABA ), Temu or Shein to pay their

fair share of the cost," Bernd Lange, chair of the European

Parliament's trade committee told reporters on Wednesday.

Shein and Temu did not immediately respond to a request for

comment.

China's foreign ministry said it hoped the EU would abide by

its commitment to openness and "provide a fair, transparent and

non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese firms".

The Commission has put forward a proposed 2 euro handling

fee per parcel delivered directly to the customer or a smaller

50 cent fee for parcels handled by a warehouse within the EU.

The United States this month scrapped its "de minimis"

policy that allowed duty-free entry to parcels worth less than

$800.

European retailers say the existing duty-free policy gives

Shein and Temu an unfair advantage.

The handling fee "could be part of the solution to remedy

the unfair competition from Temu and others," said Stephan

Tromp, deputy managing director of German retail association

HDE. "At the same time, the duty-free limit of 150 euros must be

abolished."

($1 = 0.8826 euros)