France suspends 2-euro charge on low-value packages as EU fee kicks in

PARIS, June 30 (Reuters) - France is scrapping a two-euro charge on low-value e-commerce packages arriving from outside the European Union from July 1, when a heftier pan-European Union fee kicks in, Serge Papin, the minister for small businesses said on Tuesday.

The fee will increase to 5 euros from November, Papin said, as the EU intends to add an additional 2-euro administration fee to these packages.

"In November all of Europe will be applying the so-called 2 euros administration fee, so it’ll be 5 euros starting in November. So why are we suspending (our fee)? To better monitor the situation and the products coming into France," Papin added.

France's Senate passed a revised version of a bill on Monday aimed at curbing online fast-fashion retailers such as Shein, Temu, which is owned by PDD Holdings, and AliExpress, after more than two years of debate and discussion between the upper and lower houses of parliament as lawmakers sought to create a text that complies with European Union law.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)