France impacted by EU approval for €3 tax on small parcels from outside the union

Plans to bring forward a tax on small parcels sent from outside the EU – and increase it to €3 per parcel – have been approved by European Finance Ministers. 

Ministers from member states approved the introduction of an EU-wide tax on small parcels valued at less than €150 starting from July 1, 2026.

This is significantly earlier than the previously proposed introduction date of November 2026, itself an advance on original plans to introduce the tax in 2028. These were renegotiated earlier this autumn following pressure from several EU countries including France.

The newly approved EU plans see the tax per-parcel increased from €2 to €3. 

While the tax is intended to address the influx of parcels from Asia, particularly Chinese e-commerce sites, parcels from all non-EU countries including the UK, US, and Australia among others would be impacted by the fee unless specific exemptions are made.

Separate to the EU plans, French senators recently voted to include a €5 tax on small parcels in the draft 2026 budget.

The original version of the budget included a €2 flat fee on small parcels, which was increased to €5 by senators via an amendment during budgetary debates. 

The government argued that a €5 fee risked being seen as a customs duty as opposed to a tax, leading to potential legal challenges. However, it backs the new EU plans and says the two measures could be combined.

“This flat fee [approved by the EU] could be added to the €2 fee already planned in the 2026 draft budget, should this measure be adopted,” said the French Finance Ministry following the EU announcement.

EU-wide fee implemented to avoid single market friction

France has led calls for the EU to expedite the introduction of taxes following several disagreements with Chinese e-commerce companies. 

This included those with major site Shein, which has been embroiled in scandals and faced protests at the opening of its first permanent physical store in Paris, largely over alleged human rights abuses and the sale of ‘child-like sex dolls’ on its website.

Several European ministers argued that the tax is a necessary step to prevent the EU being overwhelmed by these e-commerce parcels, many of which they say do not comply with safety regulations and are not priced accurately.

Brussels was keen to ensure measures were implemented the same across all member states to avoid issues with parcels moving between member states.

Currently, Belgium is set to introduce its own €2 flat fee on small parcels from January 2026, with France potentially doing so based on the final budget if passed by MPs.