On Tuesday, Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer (ÖVP) announced stricter controls for non-European online trade. The decree aims to better protect consumers and ensure fair competition for domestic companies. Planned measures include close cooperation with the customs authority, a rapid response to market surveillance based on risk, and participation in EU-wide programs.
Digital tools such as web crawlers will be used to analyze online shops, and resources from market surveillance and metrology will be consolidated. “Especially in light of potential trade shifts due to US tariffs and the increased shipments from Asian companies to Europe, stronger monitoring is even more important to mitigate additional pressure on our domestic retailers,” Hattmannsdorfer said in a press release.
Criticism of the 150-Euro Duty-Free Limit
The current duty-free limit of 150 euros allows many foreign providers to import products into the EU without tariffs, which puts domestic businesses at a disadvantage, he pointed out. “While domestic businesses meet high standards, foreign products are regularly attempted to be brought into our market under the radar. Our customs system protects not only our companies but also consumers from unsafe and non-compliant products,” added State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl (ÖVP).
For Kurt Egger, General Secretary of the ÖVP Economic Association and economic spokesman in parliament, the decree is “a correct and necessary step to secure the domestic economy.” Rainer Trefelik, Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce’s Trade Division, called it a “right step in the right direction.”
The state is taking the “increasing competitive distortion caused by non-European e-commerce platforms such as Temu and Shein” seriously, said the Austrian Trade Association, which strongly supports the announced measures. The next logical step would be the introduction of a processing fee for each package from third countries, as outlined by the European Commission. The 150-euro duty-free limit for direct imports from third countries should be abolished.
