Marten Bosselman from BPEX on the Introduction of a Parcel Fee

Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of the Federal Association of Parcel and Express Logistics (BPEX), comments on the planned parcel fee. The European Union plans a parcel fee of 2 euros for shipments from third countries, such as China, to cover the increased costs for customs clearance and market surveillance that have arisen due to the growing online trade with low-cost providers like Temu and Shein. The fee is primarily intended for shipments to private households, while a reduced fee of 50 cents is planned for deliveries to warehouses.

(Berlin) Regarding the current debate at the EU level about the introduction of a parcel fee for shipments from third countries, Marten Bosselmann, Chairman of the Federal Association of Parcel and Express Logistics (BPEX), states:

Marten Bosselmann

“The debate in the European Parliament regarding the introduction of a parcel fee for shipments from third countries and the resolution proposal show that the issue of international goods traffic is increasingly coming into political focus. The parcel industry welcomes the search for solutions at the European level to strengthen customs controls and ensure fair competition. As an industry, we enable international trade and are a reliable partner for customs and security authorities. New rules for the growing volume of shipments from third countries must not jeopardize this.

 

The efficient and resilient supply chains of parcel services ensure that European foreign and domestic trade benefits. The goal of the EU measures and the customs reform must be to specifically address concrete problems such as customs evasion and not to create new trade barriers that would particularly affect small traders as well as consumers. A blanket parcel fee, for example, must not lead to logistics companies facing additional bureaucratic and fiscal burdens or having to take on tasks that originally fall within the remit of state authorities.

 

It is clear to us: There must be a uniform regulation for all member states. National solo efforts jeopardize the European internal market and lead to distortions of competition. Any measures must be proportionate. Clear, comprehensible processes, a functioning digital infrastructure, and appropriate transition periods are necessary.

 

The discussed measures, such as holding trading platforms accountable for goods that do not meet EU standards, are a necessary step to improve the internal market. Trade barriers achieve the opposite.”

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