Greece Calls for EU Rules on Low-Value Parcels

As platforms such as Shein and Temu expand rapidly across Europe, low-value cross-border parcels priced at €150 or below are increasingly entering Greece under the EU de minimis exemption. In response, Greek industry groups are urging the EU to adopt unified measures for stronger Greece e-commerce regulation and enforcement.

According to data from the Hellenic Confederation of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (ESEE), more than 91% of cross-border parcels under €150 across the EU originate from China. In 2024, the EU imported approximately 4.6 billion parcels priced at €150 or below, and this figure is expected to rise to around 6.0 billion in 2025.

In Greece, the daily volume of low-priced cross-border orders entering the market can reach as high as 50,000 and continues to grow. Related studies estimate that, of Greek consumers’ spending on e-commerce platforms, one out of every five euros goes to China, translating into an annual transaction value of roughly €529 million to €627 million.

Greek business organizations note that domestic companies importing similar products must bear customs duties, VAT, and clearance costs, while also complying with EU requirements on product safety, environmental standards, and labor rules. By contrast, a large volume of goods sold through cross-border platforms enters under tax-free treatment, creating a clear imbalance in competitive conditions. At present, platforms represented by Temu and Shein are estimated to account for about 15% to 20% of Greece’s e-commerce market.

Based on calculations by Greece’s commercial research institute INEMY, the rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce platforms is estimated to cause annual losses to the Greek economy of approximately €188.1 million to €204.3 million. This scale is described as equivalent to three times the retail sector’s assumed tax revenue, or close to total corporate tax revenue.

The EU is currently planning to impose a €3 duty on low-value cross-border parcels starting in July 2026. However, key implementation details still require clarification, including the exact rollout timeline, whether the measure will be applied simultaneously across all member states, how any transition period would be structured, who would bear proposed administrative fees, and how to prevent costs from ultimately being passed on to consumers.

Across Greece and Europe, business groups broadly argue that local companies complying with strict quality, labor, and environmental standards are being forced to compete with goods whose origin and compliance status can be difficult to verify. This dynamic is seen as putting downward pressure on prices, reducing turnover, and weakening local markets.

Greece is therefore calling on EU member states to establish a unified mechanism that, in special and urgent circumstances, would allow the European Commission to impose temporary restrictions—or even suspend access—by third-country e-commerce platforms to the EU single market.

For policymakers and businesses alike, the debate over low-value cross-border parcels and the EU de minimis exemption is becoming a defining issue for fair competition and enforcement. As the EU considers new measures and Greece pushes for stronger Greece e-commerce regulation, companies operating in Europe will need to monitor upcoming enforcement details, cost-allocation rules, and any emergency mechanisms that could reshape cross-border e-commerce access across the single market.