EU fast-fashion imports face €10 fee call

A federation of European textile associations called Tuesday for a €10 handling fee on fashion imports into the European Union, in the latest effort to curb ultra-cheap competition mainly from China.

Euratex president Mario Jorge Machado welcomed the EU's existing €3 duty on cheap parcels entering the bloc but said the bloc “cannot stop there”.

Euratex said a €10 handling fee would give customs authorities resources to identify unsafe and non-compliant goods. The group also warned against allowing loopholes through bulk imports or European warehouses, saying the European textile industry includes about 200,000 companies employing 1.3 million people.

The call follows the EU's July duty on cheap parcels and comes as France began imposing a separate levy on ultra-fast fashion items on Tuesday. The French charge is eventually set to reach almost €20 per garment.

China has warned of potential retaliation to the fees. Chinese ultra-fast fashion company Shein had 156 million average monthly users in Europe by the end of 2025, compared with 193 million for AliExpress and about 180 million for Amazon.