News / Fragmented ecommerce fees in EU could provoke shake up in air cargo

© Vitalii Shkurko

Moves by four European countries to implement handling fees on inbound ecommerce has attracted criticism from logistics groups. 

The Netherlands has proposed a fee of $2 per item worth under €150, which would typically be €6 per parcel, as the average parcel contains three items. Fees would be charged to carriers, which are expected to pass it on to consumers. The country plans to implement it early next year, giving very little time for importers to plan. 

France is also eyeing a €2 levy, on low-value fashion imports, to start next year, and has proposed an additional €5 environmental levy per parcel, rising to €10 by 2030. The plan has passed an initial senate vote and is awaiting final parliamentary approval. 

In Belgium, as part of its budget, the governing party has called for a €2 fee on every non-EU origin parcel worth up to €150, expected also to be implemented next year. 

Luxembourg has progressed furthest, with a €2 per parcel fee being introduced on 1 January, for values up to €150. 

The EU handles around 4.6bn small parcels a year from outside the bloc, primarily from China, direct to consumers. If 20%–30% of those go to the four countries looking to introduce fees, roughly 1bn–1.5bn parcels will face a €2 charge, creating €2 to €3bn of additional costs for them. 

And this piecemeal approach has been criticised. The EU has already pledged that goods worth less than €150 will be eligible for customs duties once the EU customs data hub is up and running, expected in 2028.  It also has suggested that goods which go to EU warehouses first only be liable for a €0.50 fee. 

Meanwhile, ministers also promised to find a temporary solution – but that is too slow for some European states. 

However, Maarten van As, director of Air Cargo Netherlands, told media: “If you implement this per member state, you’ll end up with all sorts of separate regulations.” 

He added that if the fees were introduced at different times, ecommerce companies would send the shipments through non-tariff countries and then truck them. 

“This will cost a number of Dutch companies a significant amount of money and, as a consumer, I’m concerned about product safety.” 

Germany, for example, has not spoken of introducing a tariff early – making its airports a likely target for ecommerce imports. Most of Europe’s major air hubs are based in the four countries threatening a fee – with airports such as Liege and Schiphol likely to see lower volumes. 

The longer-term outcome could mean more consolidation in ecommerce, with breakdowns occurring in EU warehouses, and a larger proportion of higher-value goods which can carry the extra cost. 

Europe is lucky to have a live case study of the impacts, following the US’s sudden decision this year to end its de minimis exemption. The move initially caused cancelled orders, suspensions, and delays. But the most interesting outcome was the pivot by China’s ecommerce companies to other markets. 

Noting the decrease in ecommerce volumes on the transpacific, Ryan Keyrouse, CEO of Rotate, told The Loadstar: “The ecommerce platforms have shifted tradelanes impressively quickly, growing to markets in Europe, Latin America, and SE Asia. As such, we see charters continue but with new destinations.” 

The UK has also promised to end its de minimis exemption for parcels worth less than £135 – but likely not until 2029.