Ministry of Environment Targets Waste Contributions for Imported Parcels
According to Wall-Street.ro, Romania’s Ministry of Environment is preparing a new legislative proposal that would require environmental fund contributions for packages imported from outside the European Union, including those ordered from platforms such as Temu, Shein, and AliExpress. The draft is expected to enter public consultation in the coming weeks.
Industry sources estimate that around 250,000 parcels from China arrive in Romania each day. Local retailers have long complained that non-EU e-commerce platforms avoid paying waste management contributions, including those related to packaging and electronic equipment.
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“We are constantly identifying the entry points of packaging waste and developing methods to access this data operationally,” said Raul Pop, State Secretary at the Ministry of Environment. He added that imported parcels from China, India, and Vietnam generate waste handled by local municipalities — costs that must be covered by someone.
The proposal aims to apply the same legal obligations to non-EU sellers as those already imposed on domestic retailers.
“We need to identify these parcels and subject them to the same legal requirements as any large hypermarket,” Pop stated.
Since it would be unrealistic to impose fiscal obligations directly on producers from Asia, the ministry is considering designating local “proxy entities” — such as importers, distributors, or marketplace operators — to assume this responsibility.
The initiative is designed to reduce packaging waste and ensure equal environmental compliance for all companies selling to Romanian consumers, regardless of where they operate.
Photo: freepik.com
