European textile group calls for €10 fee on cheap fashion imports
A European textile industry group has called for a €10 ($11.60) fee on imported fashion items, seeking stronger measures against a surge of ultra-cheap clothing, particularly from China.
The appeal by Euratex comes after the European Union introduced a €3 duty in July on low-value parcels entering the bloc. The measure was introduced partly to help cover the costs faced by customs authorities in processing millions of cheap shipments.
Euratex calls for stronger action
Euratex President Mario Jorge Machado welcomed the EU measure but said the bloc needed to go further.
The federation called for a €10 handling fee, saying the additional revenue would give customs authorities more resources to identify unsafe and non-compliant goods.
Euratex also urged the EU to close potential loopholes, including the use of bulk imports and European warehouses to avoid the impact of the fee.
The group said such measures were necessary to create a level playing field for European textile companies.
The European textile and clothing sector represents around 200,000 companies and employs approximately 1.3 million people, according to Euratex.
Shein faces growing pressure
The proposal comes as Chinese ultrafast-fashion retailer Shein faces increasing regulatory and market pressure in Europe and the United States.
Shein had a lackluster stock market debut, while new import charges in the EU and similar measures in the US have added pressure on its business model.
France separately began imposing a levy on ultrafast-fashion products Tuesday. The charge is expected to eventually reach almost €20 per garment.
China has warned that it could retaliate against new trade measures.
Despite the growing restrictions, Shein remains one of Europe's largest e-commerce platforms. Its European customer base reached an average of 156 million monthly users by the end of 2025, according to the figures cited by Euratex.
Shein ranks alongside AliExpress and Amazon, which recorded around 193 million and 180 million monthly users respectively in Europe.
The European textile industry is pressing for further action as governments seek to balance consumer demand for inexpensive fashion with concerns over customs enforcement, environmental standards and competition from ultra-low-cost imports.
Source:turkiyetoday
