三大国际承运商联名致函欧盟：小包关税政策应当暂缓全面执行

This article centers on the three largest global express carriers jointly calling on the European Union to delay the full implementation of its new tariff policy for low-value cross-border parcels. Key takeaways are as follows:

1. Event background: On May 22, 2026, DHL, FedEx, and UPS jointly sent a letter to finance ministers of EU member states, proposing a phased rollout of the new EU customs regulatory framework instead of implementing all reforms at once on July 1, 2026.

2. Core content of the new regulation: The EU rule eliminates tariff exemptions for goods under €150, imposes a uniform processing fee on low-value e-commerce parcels entering the bloc—€3 per direct-to-consumer e-commerce parcel—and is advancing digital customs reform that requires detailed product information to be submitted and integrated into the EU’s unified customs data platform.

3. Core rationale for the carriers’ opposition: The dispute is not over the new fee, but that current technical specifications, data exchange mechanisms, and operational processes are not yet ready. Hasty implementation will reduce customs clearance efficiency, cause logistics delays, and push up costs for both businesses and consumers.

This article outlines new EU regulatory developments for cross-border e-commerce, with key takeaways for brands selling into the EU as follows:

1. Overall policy trend: Driven by the surge in cross-border e-commerce parcel volumes, the EU is accelerating the tightening of cross-border e-commerce regulation. It has moved up the implementation of the reform from the original 2028 timeline to 2026, and stricter regulation will be a long-term trend. Brands need to adapt to the new rules in advance.

2. Core impact of the new regulation: The rule adds parcel processing fees and requires more detailed product declaration data. Regardless of whether implementation is delayed, it will push up logistics and compliance costs for brands exporting to the EU, affecting their pricing and profit margins.

3. Market context: Low-value parcels entering the EU reached 4.6 billion in 2024, doubling year over year, with the vast majority coming from Chinese cross-border e-commerce. This indicates strong demand for low-value goods from Chinese brands in the EU market, with considerable room for growth, but compliance thresholds are also rising steadily. Brands need to adjust their strategies and layout early to meet regulatory requirements.

For sellers operating cross-border European business, this article shares the following key insights on the policy change:

1. Core policy changes: The EU originally planned to fully implement its low-value cross-border parcel reform on July 1, 2026, eliminating the €150 tariff exemption, imposing a €3 processing fee per direct e-commerce parcel entering the bloc, and requiring sellers to submit detailed information including product category, origin, and description for integration into the EU’s unified customs data platform.

2. Latest developments: The three major global express carriers have jointly called for phased implementation, as technical specifications have not been finalized and data integration between customs and businesses has not been fully tested. Hasty rollout would cause customs backlogs, logistics delays, and cost increases, leaving open the possibility of a policy delay.

3. Risk and opportunity outlook: Strengthened EU regulation is an irreversible trend. Sellers should complete product information filing in advance, calculate changes in logistics costs, and adjust pricing strategies. Regardless of whether implementation is delayed, they need to prepare for compliance early to avoid customs clearance issues that disrupt store operations.

For manufacturing factories exporting to the EU, this article offers the following key insights:

1. Market opportunities: The volume of low-value cross-border parcels entering the EU has grown explosively in recent years, hitting 4.6 billion in 2024—doubling year over year—with the vast majority coming from Chinese cross-border e-commerce. This demonstrates strong European demand for lightweight, small-batch goods manufactured in China. Factories producing related categories have ample room for growth and can further expand their export business to the EU.

2. Requirements for production and product information: The upcoming EU regulatory reform requires all cross-border parcels to include detailed information on product classification, origin, and description. Factories need to organize and update product information files in advance during the supply and export process to meet the new declaration requirements.

3. Implications for digital transformation: The EU is advancing digital customs reform. Factories expanding into cross-border e-commerce should upgrade their internal information management systems early to adapt to the EU’s new data declaration standards, avoiding customs clearance delays caused by non-compliant information that would hurt order delivery and brand reputation.

For service providers supporting cross-border business with the EU, this article shares the following industry insights:

1. Industry development trends: Low-value cross-border parcel volumes into the EU grew rapidly to 4.6 billion in 2024, doubling year over year, driving sustained growth in demand for cross-border logistics, compliance declaration, system transformation and other related services, leaving considerable room for industry growth. Meanwhile, digital EU customs regulation is an irreversible trend, and demand for compliance services will continue to rise in the future.

2. Core customer pain points: The EU has pushed forward this reform at an overly fast pace, with technical specifications still undecided and data exchange mechanisms between customs and businesses untested. Logistics firms and cross-border sellers alike face high system transformation costs and risks of customs clearance disruptions. If the new rule is implemented hastily, operational chaos will occur across the entire supply chain, creating broad demand for targeted solutions from customers.

3. Business opportunities: Service providers can proactively develop declaration and integration services adapted to the EU’s new customs data standards, build system transformation tools for sellers and logistics firms of all sizes to help clients meet compliance requirements, and capture new market share early.

For marketplace platforms operating cross-border business with the EU, this article offers the following key insights:

1. Policy context: The rapid expansion of Chinese cross-border platforms including Temu, Shein, and AliExpress in Europe has driven a doubling of low-value parcel volumes, forcing the EU to accelerate its customs regulatory reform and move up implementation from 2028 to 2026, leaving platforms facing new compliance requirements.

2. Current uncertainty: The three major global express carriers have jointly called for a delay to full implementation, with the core issue being that technical integration and system transformation are not yet complete. If the rule takes effect on schedule, large-scale customs clearance delays are highly likely, which will directly hurt platform user experience and even trigger widespread order disputes.

3. Adjustments for platform operations: Platforms need to complete integration with the EU’s new customs data platform in advance, update seller declaration rules on their platforms, finish their own system transformation early, communicate policy updates to sellers in a timely manner to help them prepare information and calculate costs, and continue monitoring policy changes to adjust operational rules and mitigate compliance risks.

For researchers studying cross-border e-commerce and global trade regulation, this article offers the following research insights:

1. New industry dynamics: The rapid expansion of Chinese cross-border e-commerce platforms in the European market has driven explosive growth in low-value cross-border parcel volumes, which reached 4.6 billion entering the EU in 2024, doubling year over year. This growth has directly forced the EU to accelerate customs regulatory reform, moving up implementation from the original 2028 phased timeline to 2026, reflecting the impact of the new cross-border e-commerce model on the traditional international trade regulatory system.

2. Newly exposed conflicting issues: The joint statement by three leading global carriers reflects the misalignment between regulatory demands and industry operational capacity during international trade regulatory reform. The EU has rushed through reform to address regulatory pressure, ignoring the time required for industry-wide technological upgrades, which could easily trigger operational problems across the entire supply chain.

3. Directions for future research: This incident provides a typical case study for research on the restructuring of global trade regulatory rules in the era of cross-border e-commerce. Future research can track the feasibility of phased reform schemes, the game logic of different stakeholders during regulatory reform, and draw conclusions about implementation experience for cross-border e-commerce regulatory reform.