Dear partner,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While February is traditionally a quieter month in logistics due to the Chinese New Year, the market is far from standing still. In fact, several regulatory and structural developments are quietly reshaping international e-commerce and supply chains and the impact will be felt sooner than many expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Below, we highlight the developments that deserve your attention now, not later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the end of January, the European Union and India concluded negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA, subject to final ratification). Once in force, this agreement will significantly reduce or eliminate tariffs on the majority of goods traded between the EU and India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the European Commission, tariffs will be phased out on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This agreement is widely seen as a strategic move by the EU to diversify trade flows and reduce dependency on traditional markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What we already see in the market:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While reduced tariffs create new opportunities, they also introduce additional complexity. Preferential trade agreements require correct documentation and origin validation to benefit from tariff reductions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For companies active in sourcing, manufacturing or retail, this agreement is another signal that now is the time to review supply chain structures<\/strong>, not when changes are already enforced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After months of uncertainty, the proposed national Dutch handling fee for e-commerce shipments has been postponed<\/strong>. This provides short-term relief for platforms and brand owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the bigger picture is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of July 2026<\/strong>, the European Union will introduce a \u20ac3 customs duty per item<\/strong> on low-value e-commerce shipments (< \u20ac150), applied across all EU member states<\/strong>. This is part of a broader EU strategy to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The direction is unmistakable<\/strong>: cross-border e-commerce will become more regulated, more structured and less tolerant of \u201cgrey areas\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across the market, we see consumer brands reassessing their operating models. Where shipping directly from outside the EU was once the default, many brands are now actively exploring alternatives such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This shift is driven by more than regulation alone. Brands are also responding to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In many cases, moving fulfilment into the EU not only improves compliance, but also results in shorter lead times, more predictable costs and higher customer satisfaction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)<\/strong> is now officially in force. Despite this, we continue to see that many importers of CBAM-relevant goods are not yet fully prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Common challenges include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Waiting until enforcement tightens is a risk. Early preparation allows you to maintain control over costs and avoid operational disruption later in the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We would be happy to inform you further in a short demo call.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yes, the days are getting longer again \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many of the changes mentioned above do not cause immediate disruption \u2014 until suddenly they do. The companies that benefit most are those that reassess their setup before<\/strong> pressure turns into urgency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are currently evaluating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We would be happy to exchange thoughts and explore practical solutions together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear partner, While February is traditionally a quieter month in logistics due to the Chinese New Year, the market is far from standing still. In fact, several regulatory and structural developments are quietly reshaping international e-commerce and supply chains and the impact will be felt sooner than many expect. Below, we highlight the developments that deserve your attention now, not later. EU\u2013India Free Trade Agreement: a strategic shift in global sourcing At the end of January, the European Union and India concluded negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA, subject to final ratification). Once in force, this agreement will significantly reduce or eliminate tariffs on the majority of goods traded between the EU and India. According to the European Commission, tariffs will be phased out on: This agreement is widely seen as a strategic move by the EU to diversify trade flows and reduce dependency on traditional markets. What we already see in the market: While reduced tariffs create new opportunities, they also introduce additional complexity. Preferential trade agreements require correct documentation and origin validation to benefit from tariff reductions. For companies active in sourcing, manufacturing or retail, this agreement is another signal that now is the time to review supply chain structures, not when changes are already enforced. Regulatory pressure on e-commerce is increasing After months of uncertainty, the proposed national Dutch handling fee for e-commerce shipments has been postponed. This provides short-term relief for platforms and brand owners. However, the bigger picture is clear: As of July 2026, the European Union will introduce a \u20ac3 customs duty per item on low-value e-commerce shipments (< \u20ac150), applied across all EU member states. This is part of a broader EU strategy to: The direction is unmistakable: cross-border e-commerce will become more regulated, more structured and less tolerant of \u201cgrey areas\u201d. Strategic shift: from cross-border to EU-based fulfilment Across the market, we see consumer brands reassessing their operating models. Where shipping directly from outside the EU was once the default, many brands are now actively exploring alternatives such as: This shift is driven by more than regulation alone. Brands are also responding to: In many cases, moving fulfilment into the EU not only improves compliance, but also results in shorter lead times, more predictable costs and higher customer satisfaction. CBAM is live and still underestimated The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is now officially in force. Despite this, we continue to see that many importers of CBAM-relevant goods are not yet fully prepared. Common challenges include: Waiting until enforcement tightens is a risk. Early preparation allows you to maintain control over costs and avoid operational disruption later in the year. We would be happy to inform you further in a short demo call. Operational context: what we see in the market And yes, the days are getting longer again \ud83d\ude0a A moment to reassess Many of the changes mentioned above do not cause immediate disruption \u2014 until suddenly they do. The companies that benefit most are those that reassess their setup before pressure turns into urgency. If you are currently evaluating: We would be happy to exchange thoughts and explore practical solutions together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":10617,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[143],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10960"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10960\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10961,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10960\/revisions\/10961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanderhelmlogistics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Regulatory pressure on e-commerce is increasing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Strategic shift: from cross-border to EU-based fulfilment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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CBAM is live and still underestimated<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Operational context: what we see in the market<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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From 15 February<\/strong>, production in China largely shuts down. The weeks leading up to this period already show declining output and volumes. February is expected to remain calm, with production gradually restarting in early March.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
Adjustments have been implemented regarding the transfer of products of animal origin, impacting specific import flows.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
We continue to follow developments in the fresh produce sector closely and connect with partners across the supply chain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nA moment to reassess<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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