Adaptation of EU regulations to growing online trade

The EU Parliament voted on a draft report that addresses the regulatory challenges of growing electronic commerce in the EU. Given the sharp increase in small shipments of goods, particularly from third countries, issues of product safety, customs and tax law, and fair competition are increasingly coming into focus. In 2024 alone, 4.6 billion small shipments were delivered to the EU. The report notes that despite existing EU regulations such as the Market Surveillance Regulation and the Digital Services Act, enforcement is often difficult. This is due, among other things, to limited resources of the responsible authorities and differences in national regulations. The proposed measures include strengthening customs and market surveillance authorities, improving cooperation between Member States, setting up additional testing facilities and introducing a digital product passport to trace risky products. A revision of the EU Customs Code, including the abolition of the duty-free limit for shipments under 150 euros, is also being discussed. MEPs support the Commission's proposal to impose a €2 handling fee on individual parcels from third countries. The Commission is invited to examine the proportionality of the amount and whether it is compatible with World Trade Organization rules. The aim is also to prevent it from ultimately being passed on to consumers in the EU. Attention: The voting results shown on the right only reflect the voting behavior of the 96 German MEPs and not that of all 720 MEPs. Overall, the report was adopted with 619 votes in favour, 26 against and 46 abstentions. Of the German MEPs, 79 voted for and 15 against. There were no abstentions.

Vote breakdown