Alex Agius Saliba Welcomes Peter Agius To Fight Against Incoming Temu And Shein Levy

Labour MEP Alex Agius Saliba has welcomed fellow Maltese MEP Peter Agius to what he described as a long-running fight against the European Union’s proposed charge on low-value parcels ordered from platforms such as Temu, Shein and AliExpress.

In a statement, Agius Saliba said he had been opposing the measure for more than a year, pointing to a video recorded in February 2025 in which he raised concerns about the proposal within the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee.

The Labour MEP said he was pleased to see Peter Agius now joining the campaign against the levy, which is expected to introduce a €3 charge on many low-value imports arriving in the EU.

“After two years, we are now united in opposing this unfair measure,” Agius Saliba said, arguing that the proposal was introduced by the European Commission and the Council without proper consultation with the European Parliament.

His comments comes after Peter Agius publicly raised concerns about the impact the charge could have on Maltese consumers, even writing to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warning that the measure could increase living costs and disproportionately affect island states like Malta.

Agius Saliba also sounded the alarm over what could come next.

According to the MEP, some voices within the European Parliament are already discussing the possibility of replacing the temporary €3 charge with a permanent tax of between €8 and €12 on every imported parcel.

If implemented, such a move could significantly increase the cost of online shopping for Maltese consumers who regularly rely on overseas platforms for affordable products.

With the proposed levy edging closer, it seems Malta’s MEPs from both sides of the political divide are now singing from the same hymn sheet.

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Gabriel Falzon

Gabriel Falzon is a social media executive at Lovin Malta, with a keen interest in digital media, local businesses, and the natural world. Outside of work, you’ll often find him baking up a storm, diving into video games, or exploring the endless corners of YouTube.