Brussels (Belgium) (AFP) – Arrivals of small imported parcels at Liège airport, the hub of online commerce in Europe, fell by 53% in July compared to a year earlier, due to the tax implemented by the EU, according to figures published Thursday by Belgian customs.

Published on: 03/09/2026 - 16:23

According to customs services, the tax had the desired effect with an almost doubling of the average value of imported goods, rising above 10 euros. A clear sign that e-commerce platforms and their customers have adapted.

“The first results demonstrate that this measure is already producing concrete effects. We are seeing a significant reduction in very low value shipments, significant additional revenue and a strengthening of our capacity to fight against dangerous, non-compliant or counterfeit products,” commented Ministers David Clarinval (Economy) and Jan Jambon (Finance) in a press release.

Since July 1, small packages (worth less than 150 euros) imported into the European Union have been subject to a new European tax, of three euros per category of item contained in each package.

A measure which aims to curb the influx into Europe of predominantly Chinese products, purchased on Asian platforms such as Shein, Temu, or Aliexpress and often not compliant with European standards.

This tax aims both to protect consumers against potentially dangerous products, and to defend European businesses and traders who denounce competition deemed unfair, small parcels imported into the EU previously being completely exempt from customs duties.

Although no consolidated report on a European scale is yet available, the Belgian figures confirm the trend already observed in other European countries. According to French customs, imports of small parcels have fallen by 30 to 40% in total in the EU since entry into force.

Nearly 5.9 billion small parcels will enter the European market in 2025, or more than 180 every second. This is four times more than in 2022. Of this total, 93% came from China.

© 2026 AFP

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