The European Union plans to make e-commerce platforms such as Temu, Shein, and Amazon responsible for unsafe or illegal products sold online to curb the flood of imports from China, the Financial Times reported.

Omniva's Head of International Business Sven Kukemelk said around 40 percent of Omniva's parcels originate from Asia, primarily from brands like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress.

Since July 2021, e-commerce packages arriving from outside the European Union have been subject to the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS) system, meaning the buyer can pay all import taxes at the time of purchase if the value of the goods is under €150.

The average price of Chinese goods arriving in Estonia via Omniva is about €40.

Kukemelk said 99 percent of all parcels ordered from Asia fall below the €150 threshold. This means they are exempt from customs duties but subject to VAT.

"If this threshold were removed, calculating and paying customs duties would become significantly more complicated," he said.

Customs duties are applied EU-wide and depend on the destination country.

"At present, it is unclear how this would be practically implemented. However, if customs duties remain unchanged, an additional charge for a package worth around €40 would be approximately €3–4, which is unlikely to lead to major changes in shipping volumes," Kukemelk believes.

Nevertheless, he believes the proposed change could lead to longer delivery times due to additional customs inspections, short-term disruptions for sellers adjusting to the new system, and higher prices for consumers.

Tax and Customs Board Spokesperson Karin Ulvik said the proposal is still at the discussion stage, making it too early to assess its potential impact.

"We will be able to evaluate the specific effects once the details of the changes and their implementation plan are clear," she said.

Chinese goods may not meet EU safety requirements

Harri Moora, senior expert at the Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Center, said many products ordered from Chinese e-commerce platforms may not meet European Union safety standards.

"A significant portion of the goods imported from outside Europe are not subject to strict regulations, or at least we do not have a good control mechanism in place," he explained.

Laboratory tests commissioned by the Norwegian Environment Agency have shown that many toys ordered from Temu contain toxins that damage brain development or inhibit fertility. Metal jewelry is filled with carcinogenic cadmium. Both clothing and plastic accessories can cause skin irritation upon contact. These are all substances that are banned in Europe. As a result, Norway plans to ban the import of such goods.

The European Commission is also expected to present a proposal on Wednesday aimed at holding online marketplaces accountable for the safety and legality of their products.

To reduce import volumes, the EU is planning to impose customs duties on goods valued under €150.

Omniva is, however, satisfied with the increasing package volumes.

"It's pure joy. The more volume, the better. We recently opened a new sorting center in Kaunas, and that is why we are continuously expanding our network. However, we also have a very clear expectation from our owner that everyone in Estonia should be part of the global infrastructure — whether a person lives in Järva County or downtown Tallinn, they should be able to shop in all global marketplaces and participate in this commerce equally," Kukemelk said.

This does not align with the European Union's goal of reducing its ecological footprint.

"In the last five years, the climate impact of major e-commerce companies has increased two- to threefold," Moora explained. "We do not even have an overview of how many products arrive here from there, or what their environmental footprint is. The first step is to start controlling e-commerce, to require companies to register and monitor how many products we are bringing to the market overall. And from there, the next steps will follow."

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