France is dropping a temporary €2 charge on low-value non-EU parcels from July 1 as the EU prepares a separate administration fee, while lawmakers also advance a revised anti-fast-fashion bill.
France is scrapping its €2 charge on low-value e-commerce packages arriving from outside the European Union from July 1, with Serge Papin, the minister for small businesses, saying the fee will give way to a broader European framework later this year. Papin said the total charge on such parcels will rise to €5 from November, as the EU plans to add a separate €2 administration fee. He said France was suspending its own levy to better monitor the situation and products entering the country. The move comes as France's Senate has also passed a revised anti-fast-fashion bill after more than two years of debate, targeting online ultra-fast-fashion retailers including Shein, Temu, which is owned by PDD Holdings, and AliExpress. The legislation would impose fines ranging from €0.25 to €6 per product this year, with penalties rising to as much as €10 per product in 2030, while also banning advertising by ultra-fast-fashion companies and prohibiting online influencers from promoting them. The bill still requires promulgation by the president before it can be enforced. The Senate's June 2025 version is narrower than the lower house's March 2024 text, focusing on online-only platforms and excluding European fast-fashion groups such as Zara and H&M as lawmakers sought a version compatible with European Union law.