The same shipments would, in addition to paying customs duties, have to pay processing fees when entering the EU. Brussels has proposed two euros per package but nothing has yet been decided and this measure should not be applied before the end of 2026.
A race against time
Paris intends to anticipate the processing fees that the EU also plans to put in place, at the end of 2026, on these same parcels. The French government wants to introduce national processing fees from January 1, 2026… Until the EU takes over. The measure is included in the 2026 finance bill under discussion in the Assembly. Article 22 provides for a levy of 2 euros per low value package arriving in France by air – most of them from China.
Not enough for the deputy for the 5th constituency of Finistère, Graziella Melchior. In an amendment re-tabled this week in session (it had already been in the Finance Committee), and which she hopes to present on Wednesday in the Hemicycle, the Landernéenne proposes to increase the future tax from 2 to 10 euros, the same package often containing several items. The text is co-signed by several Ensemble pour la République deputies, including Bretons Sandrine Le Feur (Morlaix constituency) and Liliana Tanguy (Pont-L’Abbé).
“Ten euros is a clear signal”
The Union of Independents and Small Businesses “unreservedly supports” this Melchior amendment and welcomes “for the first time a concrete system”. “Two euros is symbolic. Ten euros is a clear signal,” said SDI general secretary Marc Sanchez, who is asking to reallocate part of the tax proceeds to support the French clothing/textile sector.
For it to have a chance of being adopted, it is still necessary that the amendment can be presented in the next few days in the Chamber…
