Minister of the Economy Carlos Cuerpo has announced that Spain will be tightening customs controls on imported packages of little value. Much but not all of this is aligns with a policy established by the EU last December and set to take effect this coming July.
Specifically, EU Member States are to charge a customs duty of €3 per e-commerce parcel valued below €150. The intent is to “bridge the gap” until while the EU implements its customs reform – setting up the EU Customs Data Hub (by 2028) and a new administration to run it, the European Customs Authority (EUCA).
In addition to charging this duty Spain will be bring greater scrutiny to bear on imported industrial products and on such Far Eastern e-commerce platforms as Shein, Temu and Alibaba, according to La Vanguardia and TradeSport. Spain’s Ministry of the Economy will be establishing a working group (“mesa de trabajo”) with the platforms to hold them responsible for “the products they sell,” as the Minister has said. And the central government will over the next three months fixing the measures to apply alongside the Spain’s autonomous communities.
Spain will also be seeking to develop “minimal common standards” (e.g., for laminated flooring and construction materials) and extend them to the rest of the EU. For its own protection, it will create an early-warning system to “anticipate risks” and detect fraud in products that compete with those produced by Spanish companies.
The Minister took time also to defend the EU-Mercosur deal, which awaits a ruling from the EU Court of Justice.
Exemptions elsewhere
The UK has announced a plan of its own to end customs exemptions on imported parcels worth £135 (€154) or less. The exemption remains in place for now, as the plan to end it is under open consultation until March 6.
The US, meanwhile, ended its ”de minimis” exemption, for imported parcels value at less that $800, last August. Just this past Friday, Feb. 20 – the day the US Supreme Court handed down its opinion on reciprocal tariffs and their basis in the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) – President Donald Trump issued an executive order to reaffirm the discontinuation of the de minimis policy.
Canada is so far continuing to waive customs duties on commercial imports value at 20 Canadian dollars (€12) or less.
