The view of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium, the gateway to the European Union. Promotional photo of the Port of Antwerp
Belgium, the gateway to the European Union (EU), is struggling under the weight of a massive influx of low-cost parcels arriving from China. With 3 million parcels arriving per day, the country is facing what is being described as a "parcel tsunami."
On July 10 (local time), AFP reported that "Belgium is facing a surge in small packages, mainly from China, and in 2024, customs have become overloaded with 3 million parcels per day, a threefold increase compared to the previous year." As a result, the Belgian Central Economic Council has called for strengthened customs measures and urged the EU to adopt actions to control the influx of parcels.
In a report reviewed by AFP, the council stated, "This is an explosive increase, and these parcels are mainly coming from China." The report continued, "Our country is being overwhelmed by an enormous volume of parcels that cannot be properly controlled with the resources currently available to customs and other agencies."
The EU is also struggling with the surge of parcels from China. In 2024, 4.6 billion low-cost parcels?each valued at around 22 euros (approximately 30,000 won)?entered the EU, averaging 12 million parcels per day. Of these, 91% originated from China. The EU believes that Chinese platforms such as Shein and Temu are not taking sufficient measures to prevent the sale of products that do not meet European standards. The EU is preparing to impose a fee of 2 euros (about 3,000 won) per parcel on 'low-cost parcels' arriving from third countries.
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