DHL, FedEx, and UPS urge EU to delay new tariff measures on low-value packages

The upcoming July 1 will mark a turning point in the European Union’s customs policy, as it is the date when the new provisional €3 fee per product for low-value packages (under €150) coming from outside the bloc will take effect.

This change deals a major blow to low-cost eCommerce giants based outside the EU, and it is intended to level a playing field that has so far put European merchants at a disadvantage. However, other players are also being drawn into the debate because they are a fundamental part of the logistics chain. I am referring to the logistics operators themselves, which have just requested an adjustment period.

DHL, FedEx, and UPS call for a delay to the new data requirements and other complex changes

Specifically, the giants DHL, FedEx, and UPS sent a joint statement to the European Union’s finance ministers on May 22 asking that implementation of the new tariff rules on low-value packages arriving from outside the EU be carried out gradually. This was reported by Reuters, which had access to the letter.

The operators argue that, without a more phased rollout, serious freight transport bottlenecks could occur at the borders of the European territory. The reason is that, with millions of individual packages per day now having to be processed under a new tax framework, shipments could end up being held at borders indefinitely.

Likewise, in the letter, the executives (Mike Parra of DHL, Wouter Roels of FedEx, and Daniel Carrera of UPS) placed special emphasis on the fact that this customs gridlock would not only affect cheap clothing or gadgets, but would also put the supply of medical equipment and urgent industrial components at risk, both of which move through their express delivery networks. “Such disruption could affect the availability of medical supplies, delay industrial production, and create bottlenecks in European supply chains, risks that are particularly significant in the current geopolitical context,” they stated.

The three logistics companies agreed that the EU should begin applying the €3 tariff on the scheduled date, July 1, but they urged the bloc to postpone the more complex data requirements and the legal procedures that are still unclear.

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For now, the European Union has not issued any public statement outlining its position on the request or indicating whether it plans to change course regarding the implementation of its new regulation.

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