The introduction of the handling fee in the E-commerce Communication is supposed to cover the increased supervision costs incurred when goods are placed in free circulation in the EU, specifically parcels with declared values less than EUR 150.
The question is: how will the introduction of the fee collected at European level support the development of national customs authorities, which are feeling the shock of checking thousands of parcels worth less than EUR 150 coming from outside the EU?
Answer given by Mr Šefčovič on behalf of the European Commission:
“… This fee should be incurred by the importer, i.e. the online retailer or intermediary (online platform), and not by consumers at the point of delivery of the imported package. The amount of the fee would be commensurate to the services rendered by the customs authorities, thereby compensating the EU Customs Union for the costs incurred. The handling fee and its set-up is part of the discussions on the broader Customs Reform proposal, currently under negotiation by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.”
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