The volume makes you. Almost 1.5 billion packages arrive in French houses every year thanks to electronic commerce. More than half of these packages, often from China, escape from customs tasks, due to their value of less than 150 euros.
For the government, this trend generates strong imbalances: “pressure on our local businesses, greater consumer security risks, damage to our social and environmental standards and impact on carbon linked to air transport.”
Especially because the current commercial conflict “rebuilds commercial flows” and leads to a “risk of compensation of Chinese flows to European territories, especially France.”
The government wants more regulation and presented a series of “concrete” measures on Tuesday.
The most notable for the consumer is the end at the European end of the exemption of customs rights of the packages of less than 150 euros transported by electronic commerce platforms.
This measure can only be taken at European level through the reform of the Customs Union by 2028, but ultimately could increase the price of these products sent from China in particular and, therefore, fill the boxes of the State.
“Some euros”
On the platform side, France wants to reflect to establish a contribution mechanism in the form of “management rates” applied to each package. This contribution would be implemented by implementing the reform of the Customs Union.
In fact, it is a question of largely increasing the number of controls carried out by the repression of fraud in matters of falsification, compliance with safety standards, loyalty in terms of labeling and environmental accusations or even respect for VAT.
In 2023, no less than 225,000 imported toys were destroyed because they did not meet European security standards.
“The increase in controls will mainly go to the most important and, in particular, foreign platforms,” said the Government that does not quote the Chinese Sheine or Temu.
“These controls require human and technological resources and we do not want French taxpayers to pay to control these products that invade us. It depends on importers or platforms to pay a small global sum, we talk about a few euros, which will then allow us everywhere in Europe to have the means to ensure that what enters the European market does not put in danger, the minister and the minister.
Finally, the Government wishes to raise awareness about the French against this exponential trend. “I want to alert consumers, it is up to them to choose the products that respect ethics, planet and public finances,” said Iric Lombard, Minister of the Economy.
Source: BFM TV
