PARIS – European Union finance ministers agreed on Friday to impose a 3 euro customs duty on inexpensive packages entering the bloc, a move aimed at curbing the surge of ultra-low cost e-commerce imports from platforms such as Shein and Temu and easing pressure on domestic retailers.

The fee will take effect from July 1, 2026, and will apply to all parcels valued at under 150 euros shipped into the EU from outside the bloc.

It comes weeks after the EU agreed to scrap a longstanding customs duty exemption, a loophole similar to the “de minimus” rule in the U.S., that has caused a surge in shipments of inexpensive clothing and goods, many of them originating in China.

While the charge will apply to parcels from all non-EU countries, officials made it clear that this is a move to curb C

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