reuters.com
www.reuters.com

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6078147

European Union finance ministers agreed on Friday to set a 3 euro ($3.52) customs duty on low-value parcels arriving in the bloc, part of efforts to crack down on cheap Chinese e-commerce imports such as from online retailers Shein and Temu.

The duty will apply from July 1, 2026, and will be in place until a permanent solution is found to eliminate the “de minimis” duties exemption for online purchases below 150 euros, the EU’s Council of its 27 governments said in a statement.

…

The bloc was due to remove the exemption in 2028 as part of an overhaul of its customs system, but pressure to act faster has grown amid concerns about Chinese goods being dumped in Europe.

…

The number of low-value e-commerce packages arriving in the bloc doubled last year to 4.6 billion, over 90% of them from China. Imports this year are set to be even higher.

The EU is also considering a separate handling fee, which the European Commission has proposed should be set at 2 euros per parcel. It is not clear when it would be imposed.

…

  • El_Scapacabra@lemmy.zipEnglish
    6·
    4 days ago

    Not when “domestic” online retailers import the exact same crap and sell it at an insane markup, which is what they’re been doing for quite some time now.

    I refused to buy from those cheap Chinese sites for a long time until I realized that in many cases I’d only be cutting out the middle man.

    • randomname@scribe.disroot.orgOPEnglish
      51·
      3 days ago

      Not when “domestic” online retailers import the exact same crap

      This is a myth, it’s not true.

      Chinese platforms -as well as all Chinese companies in all sectors- employ their own supply chains. Products from Temu, Shein, AliExpress contain, among others, toxic chemicals at far higher levels than what is allowed in the EU or by any Western standards. Companies like Temu or Shein fail to meet legal standard regarding product safety and environmental and consumer protection. There are many reports from multiple independent sources. I don’t understand why these platforms aren’t shut down completely. They are a threat to your health. And the working conditions in these Chinese sweatshops are desastrous.

      This is also why China has been heavily opposing any transparency laws of global supply chains. It’s a closed shop. If Chinese companies like BYD or CATL built battery factories abroad, they even send their own workers. And they work under slave-like conditions as Brazil’s authorities revealed this year at a Brazilian BYD plant:

      [Brazilian authorities] said it had identified “163 workers who appeared to be in slave-like conditions”. … workers were kept in “an alarming situation of precariousness” and subjected to “degrading working conditions.”

      “In one of the accommodations, workers slept on beds without mattresses and had no wardrobes for their personal effects, which were mixed together with food supplies,” the ministry said, adding that there was only one toilet for every 31 workers.

      The ministry also said that it suspected that “forced labor” had occurred, as workers’ passports had been confiscated and 60% of their salary had been retained. The statement said that those who quit their jobs would be forced to pay the company for their airfare from China and their return ticket.

      The working situation is similar at Chinese suppliers working for Temu, Shein & Co.

      And Western shops can’t sell such toxic products as they would be closed immediately if they did. This alone is a reason why Temu and Shein and all others that don’t play by the rules should be banned immediately and forever.

      [Edit typos.]