Today, at Première Vision in Paris, the European textile and clothing industry called on the European Union to introduce a meaningful handling fee that reflects the real costs generated by billions of direct-to-consumer parcels entering the Single Market every year. A fee in the region of €10 per parcel, the industry argues, would provide a more realistic indication of the scale required to support effective enforcement.

Every parcel entering the EU generates costs. Customs authorities must process declarations, conduct risk assessments and verify compliance. Market surveillance authorities need resources to identify unsafe and non-compliant goods. Product safety checks, logistics handling and enforcement activities all carry a price. Today, a significant portion of these costs is borne by taxpayers and by European companies that already comply with the rules.

The industry therefore argues that the debate should not focus solely on trade or taxation, but also on enforcement. A handling fee should ensure that those generating these costs contribute to covering them. Revenues should therefore be directly linked to strengthening customs controls, market surveillance, product safety enforcement and risk-analysis capabilities across the European Union.

The levels currently being discussed, generally between €2 and €4 per parcel, are unlikely to make a meaningful contribution to the actual costs of managing these flows, according to the industry. A €10 benchmark would better reflect the scale of the challenge while remaining proportionate and connected to genuine enforcement needs. The precise amount should ultimately be based on a robust assessment of the costs incurred by public authorities.

At the same time, the European textile and apparel industry is calling for online platforms to take greater responsibility for the products they place on the European market. It supports the accelerated implementation of the Deemed Importer approach and greater coherence between customs, product safety, market surveillance and digital legislation.

The industry also warns against creating new loopholes. Stronger controls on individual parcels should not simply encourage operators to switch to bulk imports, European warehouses or fulfilment centres. Effective oversight must apply regardless of the logistics model used. Customs authorities need access to equivalent and detailed data for both B₂C and B₂B flows if they are to enforce EU rules effectively.

Europe’s textile and apparel industry represents 1.3 million jobs and 200,000 companies, most of them SMEs. These businesses operate under some of the world’s most demanding social, environmental and product-safety standards. According to the industry, they need a level playing field in which all companies selling to European consumers are identifiable, accountable and subject to effective controls.

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