The Council of the European Union has reached an agreement to introduce, effective from 1 July 2026, a fixed customs duty of €3 on postal consignments with a value below €150 originating from third countries, as well as on shipments destined for the EU market through e-commerce channels (for operators registered under the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) under VAT scheme).

The IOSS system currently covers approximately 93% of all e-commerce flows entering the European Union. The temporary measure has been adopted to address concerns relating to unfair competition affecting EU businesses, potential shortcomings in product safety and compliance controls, fraudulent practices, and the environmental impact associated with the high volume of shipments arriving from non-EU countries.