Carrefour Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Bompard dismissed the European Commission’s plan to introduce a €2 handling charge on low-value parcels entering the bloc as “a joke,” arguing it would do little to stem the surge of inexpensive goods shipped from China by platforms such as Shein and Temu. Speaking on French radio on Wednesday, Bompard called for a much tougher response: a 100% tax on the value of each parcel, likening the measure to tariffs imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump. He warned that the current proposal, scheduled to take effect in 2028 alongside the removal of duty-free treatment for consignments priced under €150, risked arriving too late to protect European toy, textile and specialty retailers. The French executive, who also chairs the country’s Retailers Federation, said some 4.6 billion shipments worth below the €150 threshold entered the EU in 2024—91% of them from China—undermining domestic producers and carrying a “crazy” environmental cost. He urged Brussels to accelerate its timetable and intensify inspections, contending that without stronger curbs European commerce faces a rapid erosion of jobs and industrial capacity.